A Scorpion's Successor
by VideoGameNut
Summary: Chiyo had all but given up. Bitter and angry at the world that had taken everything away, even her Grandson. She didn't see any point in hoping for things to get better. Certainly not now. But then that brat came along and had the gall to somehow make her start hoping again.
1. Potential Discovered

Chapter 1

 **Potential Discovered**

Hello – Text

"Hello" – Talking

' _Hello_ ' – Thinking

 _Hello_ – Emphasis

oOoOoOoOo – Scene Break

xXx – Chapter Start

 **xXx** – Chapter End

'Hello' – Important Title

xXx

oOoOoOoOo Chiyo oOoOoOoOo

The harsh light of the desert sun burned down upon the Village Hidden in the Sand. It was a harsh place, barely pleasant in the best of times, but it was still home. Still the place where so many people lived and found ways to make the most of it.

It was also a place Chiyo had been visiting less and less as time went by. Why, it probably wouldn't be long before she stopped coming at all.

Chiyo wasn't in a very good mood today. Granted, she was rarely in a good mood at _all_ anymore. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she had more reasons to be bitter than anything to be happy about.

The Village's economy was plummeting, the new Kazekage had just ordered her to essentially condemn a newborn child, the Academy had recently undergone a number of budget cuts and her joints were acting up. _Again_!

' _Dammit, I hate getting older._ '

But despite all that, what put her in such a bad mood was that it was _that_ day again. The anniversary that her grandson had disappeared, gone off to parts unknown. For all she knew, Sasori may very well be dead.

She'd never admit it, not even to Ebizō, but it hurt. She'd already lost her daughter and son-in-law to Konoha, and Sasori was the only child left in the tattered remains of their family. Knowing he was gone, that she'd _failed_ , had torn her up inside. It left a wound, raw and gaping, that still hadn't healed, even in these years since he had vanished.

It was at its worst on this day in particular. The memories of those days would come back so strong that she'd find herself wandering aimlessly in the village. It's as if she was literally lost in the past.

She still remembered those days, the happier times. Walking Sasori around the village. Going out to eat with him. Enjoying the few festivals their village was able to hold. She even remembered the days she started teaching him Puppetry.

Chiyo held back a wince at that memory. It may have started out as a happy one, but it eventually became a nightmare. Oh, she'd been overjoyed at first. Puppetry was something of a passion of hers after all, a great art-form, she had every right to be proud of her skills. Passing them onto her grandson had been wonderful, especially when she discovered he was so talented. It felt like she was making up for lost time, given that her daughter had never shown significant mastery in the art.

But then everything changed and the dream became a nightmare. It was slow at first, a gradual process, but Sasori _changed_. It started when she saw him with those two puppets he'd based off of his parents, at that desperate attempt to recapture that feeling of being held in their arms.

Seeing the look in his eyes when they broke down, when he realized they could never give him what he so deeply craved, had left her both hurt and a little terrified. The look in his eyes wasn't just defeated. It was empty. Lifeless. Eyes that should never be found on a child's face.

That had been the first sign that something was wrong, but she was too caught up in a combination of pity and her own grieving to intervene. Perhaps if she'd stopped him from attempting such a thing, or even avoided teaching him Puppetry at all, the end result could've been avoided.

But she didn't. And as time went on, Sasori just seemed to get worse. He became colder, more distant, people and their interactions seemed to be nothing more to him than puppets being pulled along by their strings. The little boy she knew had grown up into a ruthless killer.

And now, he was gone. She was going to die alone, without even a chance to pass along her skills. And, worst of all, she'd die knowing she failed her daughter and Sasori.

Melancholy gripping her mind once again, Chiyo barely even paid any attention to where her steps took her. One foot moving in front of the other, she just wandered aimlessly in the silent streets of the village.

She would've just walked by if it weren't for the sounds of the cheering. Snapped out of her spell of bitterness, she wondered what they could be cheering about. It was far too early in the year for any of the festivals she knew, so what could it be?

Her curiosity piqued, she followed the noise to the source, finding a small crowd of people gathered in a rough semi-circle at the outside of a building. It seems there was some kind of entertainer in town, not exactly a common occurrence. Most traveling entertainers steered clear of the Hidden Sand Village, given its location and relative poverty compared to the other Hidden Villages.

Taking a place in the crowd, Chiyo moved to take a look at what all the fuss was about.

' _A boy?_ '

Yes, it was a boy. A black haired young lad with silver eyes, probably no more than 7 years old. He was dressed in little more than the tattered and dirty remains of what used to be normal clothes and had an equally tattered joke of a bag beside him, but he had a smile on his face and a strange gleam in his eyes that was rather rare in people his age.

He was also playing with coins. Juggling them in an intricate aerial pattern, even as they landed twirling on his fingers. It was obviously well practiced, given that he did it with an ease and skill that wouldn't be out of place in the act of a seasoned professional.

But that's not what got Chiyo's attention. No, what perked her interest was something else, something nobody else here could see. Something that, in all honesty, was a little remarkable.

The boy was using Chakra Threads.

There could be no doubt, he was using Chakra Threads to connect to and control the movements of the coins. That's how he was juggling them so seamlessly even as they twirled. His dexterity was real, but the rest of it was a clever trick. Just basic Chakra control.

Chiyo was instantly on guard. Could the boy be an infiltrator?

…..No, she decided. The boy was too young. Shinobi may be sent to fight at this boy's age, but to infiltrate a village? Hah! It just wasn't practical, such young Shinobi didn't really possess the subtlety and experience of other cultures to blend in. Besides, even if he _was_ an infiltrator, he would _never_ make himself stand out like this.

Still, just who _was_ this boy? Chakra Threads weren't exactly a difficult Jutsu for people with the right training and Chakra control, but that's because they were _Shinobi_. It was all but unheard of for a civilian to learn how to do it outside of the academy, especially a _child_.

So, hidden in the crowd, Chiyo waited. Holding back for just the right opportunity to find out. She'd found something to perk her interest now and she wasn't letting it go.

oOoOoOoOo Tetsuo oOoOoOoOo

Checking on the ryō the people had given him for the show, Tetsuo gathered it all in his carrying sack and headed off for something to eat. "Looks like my show brought in a good haul, today."

"A better show than these people know," an old voice ground out.

Tetsuo jumped slightly at the voice. How did he not hear someone sneaking up on him? Turning around, he saw that the source of the voice was an old woman. Short, pale haired and with more wrinkles than his bag, she was very the definition of what one might call a senior citizen.

She also had a look on her face that reminded Tetsuo of a cat he saw once. After it had spotted a particularly juicy canary. It was actually a little worrying.

' _A better show? Did she notice?_ ' If she did, she was probably the first person to actually call him on it. Nobody had ever indicated they knew about his _trick_ before. Nervous, he started glancing around for any escape routes, anywhere he could slip into or anything he could use as an obstacle if she tried to chase after him.

He could've been mistaken, but did he catch some kind of glimmer of approval in her eyes? Must've been his imagination.

Maybe playing dumb would throw her off a little.

Tetsuo quirked his head to the side, looking up quizzically at her. "Huh? Waddya mean?"

The look on her face became more pronounced. If she looked like a cat before, now she looked like a wolf of some kind. "I've just never seen a boy your age use Chakra Threads so well. I'm curious where you learned it."

Okay, now Tetsuo's instincts were telling him to run away as fast as he could. He'd seen that kind of look before, and it rarely meant anything good. Turning around to start running, he barely traveled a few feet away before something tripped him.

As he tried to push himself up from the ground and keep running, he could just _hear_ the smile in the old lady's tone. "Unfortunately for you, I can use them even better."

He stopped struggling after he registered the words. Use them better? Did that mean…?

Chancing a look back towards his feet, Tetsuo focused his eyes and saw them. Chakra Threads! Several of them! No wonder this lady set him on edge, she was a ninja!

He must've spoken that realization aloud, because the old crone let out a barking laugh. It sounded rough, chafed, as if she hadn't bothered to attempt a laugh for a long time.

"A ninja? Really? This little old lady? Why, whatever gave you that idea?"

Tetsuo's right eyebrow twitched in annoyance. She was practically lying through her teeth, he could _see_ the Chakra Threads extending from her fingers. More than that, it felt like she was insulting his intelligence with her little jibes and that smug smile.

So, like any mature 7 year old, he organized his thoughts for a witty and classic remark that would leave her stunned at its sheer ingenuity. Looking her in the eye, the boy cleared his throat and spoke in the most level tone he could manage.

"You're full of shit, granny."

The old bag just laughed even harder.

oOoOoOoOo Chiyo oOoOoOoOo

Alright, Chiyo's mood was now officially better. This boy had been a pleasant surprise, really. Witty, smart and even having a good dash of caution. The last quality was especially rare among people so young, so Chiyo found it to be a breath of fresh air.

Looking down at the boy, his legs still tangled on the ground, she let a smile show. A real one, something she hadn't done for a long time. It felt nice to feel her lips curl upward like that for the first time in years.

The boy deserved a reward for that.

"Tell you what," she began, trying to keep the chuckles out of her voice. "You've been a pretty fun little distraction, so I'll do something nice. How'd you like to get something to eat with this old lady? I'm not exactly a hot date anymore, but you'll get a free meal and some company to trade insults with. Sound fair?"

The boy was tempted, she could tell. He didn't exactly jump at the offer, but the look in his eyes gained a bit of light in them. It was brief, though, only there for a second before it was replaced with suspicion. ' _Smart boy._ ' Her deal was sincere, but he really had no way to know that himself. Plus, he'd probably encountered other people that gave him similar offers. That he was still alive was proof that he was smart enough not to take them up on it.

"We'll eat in public," she offered. "Plenty of people around to see if I try anything. And I might teach you how to trip people with your Chakra Threads."

The look in his eyes told her she had a deal.

oOoOoOoOo

Chiyo's right eye twitched slightly in irritation at the sight before her. The vision of _devastated_ plates, packed with food mere moments before, left barren in the wake of the boy before her. Dear god, his stomach must've been some kind of organic Sealing Scroll, there's no way any normal person could eat this much. She was half convinced an Akimichi from Konoha couldn't eat this much! And everyone across the Elemental Nations knew about the appetites of those giants.

After taking Chiyo up on her offer, the boy –Tetsuo, she'd learned- demanded that they go to the most expensive restaurant in the village. Foolishly, she decide to go along. She wasn't lacking in money, and the boy was so small that she doubted he could even eat a single plate of food.

' _Oh, how wrong I was._ '

This had to be his way of getting back at her. Taking her to somewhere really expensive before putting her in the damned poorhouse.

The moment they got in and the boy started looking through the menu, he immediately ordered several dishes worth of food and almost literally inhaled it all. Responding to the looks of the serving staff with a shrug in her direction, he just replied "She's buying." Chiyo was so shocked that she'd barely even taken a bite out of her own order. Then he ordered even _more_ food, getting several expensive platters with a total price that could buy a decent piece of jewelry. The little brat was going to eat a hole clean into her wallet and let the money flow out.

At this rate, the runt might end up with his stomach exploding.

…

' _Yes,_ ' she thought, her expression turning as dark as her thoughts. ' _That's it, boy. Keep on eating. Keep eating until your stomach pops._ '

oOoOoOoOo 30 Minutes Later oOoOoOoOo

Now everyone in the restaurant was staring at their table. Their looks a combination of awe and dawning horror as they saw the scattered plates around the boy as he _just_. _KEPT._ _ **EATING!**_

' _WHY WON'T YOU POP ALREADY!?_ '

Chiyo had no idea how much food the restaurant had left, but she was pretty sure they would run out soon. This brat had eaten enough food to feed a small army and this place could only hold so much stock at any one time. Their reserves were surely almost empty by now.

Then, when it looked like he was about to order something else, he put his chopsticks down, patted his gut, and said the two words Chiyo had been hoping to hear since this eating debacle started.

"I'm full."

As the words spread throughout the restaurant to the other customers, Chiyo sagged down into her chair, barely listening as the other customers erupted into applause. The boy was finally finished. Finally! Doing the math for all the orders of food he'd made, she suppressed a cringe upon realizing just how close she'd came to being in debt to this place. She _really_ didn't want to spend her free time washing dishes down here.

Hearing a server approach, she took a brief glance towards the man and wondered what he came to do. Give them the bill, maybe?

"So," the man nervously began. His voice was barely more than a stutter and Chiyo couldn't blame him. He was probably worried this ravenous brat would try to eat _him_ up too. "Would you like any dessert?"

Chiyo froze in horror as the words sank in. Right before she stood at her full height, pushing back her chair in the process, and brought her fist down on the table with a shout of "NO HE WON'T!"

She barely even felt it as the table shattered under her hand, all of her attention focused on the server who almost pushed her that last step before complete bankruptcy. The poor man was standing still like an alabaster statue and was just as pale, his eyes beady from fear as Chiyo pinned him in place with her glare.

Then, of all thing, the brat who started the whole scenario spoke out in a strangely childish tone.

"Granny? Why are you scaring the nice man?"

Swiveling her head around so quickly she thought there was a snap, Chiyo's gaze landed on the boy. The boy who had suddenly developed an _oh so innocent_ expression as he seemed to curl inward from fright. The picture of innocence was ruined only by the glimmer of amusement behind his eyes, seen only by Chiyo herself.

That settled it. This boy was pure evil.

She couldn't help the smile that formed on her face. "I think I'm starting to like you, kid."

oOoOoOoOo

After their little scene in the restaurant, Chiyo and Tetsuo passed the time by sitting on the roof of a building to watch the stars in the sky. Taking turns to point out the different constellation, they also traded a few jibes at one another's expense. Just some playful ribbing.

"Are you blind or something, Granny? That can't be the right constellation."

"I assure you, brat, I'm not blind. My hearing is starting to go, I get joint pains all the time and I think I threw out my hip on the way up here, but I'm not blind yet."

And so it went on. Really, finding this boy had turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. She hadn't felt this relaxed and at ease for a long time. She just might even teach him that trick she'd promised.

Oh, that reminded her.

"Where did you learn that anyway?"

Tetsuo looked over with an expression of confusion. Fake. "Learn what?"

"Don't try and fool me boy. You're at least 80 years too young to even come close."

Tetuo smiled and Chiyo knew she just walked right into this one. "I got you to buy me all that food, remember?"

"That was before I knew how evil you really are. Come on, out with it."

Tetsuo's face became cautious for a moment. She really couldn't blame him, it was likely a dangerous subject that brought up some nasty memories. Civilians generally didn't learn how to manipulate their Chakra outside of the Academy very often. And the circumstances tended to be very bad, indeed.

"It happened a while ago," Tetsuo began. His voice came out in a whisper, low and slow. Yes, this subject definitely didn't bring up pleasant memories. "I came from a small village in the Land of Rivers, small enough that it didn't really have a name. My family and I were poor, but we got by."

He paused, seeming to gather his thoughts before he started speaking again. "I tried to help them make some money on the side. I did trick on the street and entertained people. I practiced juggling a lot to give a performance." His body shuddered, likely from a particularly bad memory. "Then it happened. One day, when I was out doing trick, there was a bunch of explosions. There was fire and lightning and the earth started shaking and…..I panicked. I just crawled into a ditch and tried to wait it out."

He stopped talking again and started shaking like a leaf. She wasn't surprised, the boy had obviously been terrified. She reached out to lay a hand on his shoulder when his head _shot up_ , startling her.

"Then I looked over and I saw it. Some weird….black….thing! It looked like some kind of monster and wore a white mask, walking on its legs and breathing fire. I saw it killing people, roasting them alive and I couldn't even move. It was the scariest thing I've ever seen."

He folded his legs further inward, resting his head on his knees and clenching his arms around his body. "All I could do was watch. I was so scared that I couldn't even run, I just sat there in the ditch and hoped it would leave."

The poor thing seemed to almost be hysterical by now, shivering and wide-eyed as he relived the memory. Chiyo could only imagine the kind of terror h was feeling when he went through it all.

But this still begged the question, how did he learn to use Chakra Threads?

"Then it left. It left and the whole village was just gone. Just burned bodies and destroyed buildings. And I couldn't do _anything_."

He stopped shivering, getting himself back under control. Sniffling slightly, he rubbed his eyes with his right forearm to clear the tears. "I couldn't stay. Not after everything that happened. So I left. I got a bag and filled it with anything useful and got ready to go. Then I found something while I was looking through a wrecked building for anything useful."

He reached out an arm to the bag he'd been carrying, pulling it closer before he started rooting through it and pulled something out.

"I found this."

Handing her what he'd dug out, Chiyo was surprised to find…

"A book?"

'The Science of Chakra Threads', by Monzaemon Chikamatsu.

Monzaemon Chikamatsu? The father of the art of Ninja Puppetry? Looking through it, Chiyo noticed that the book was obviously old. The edges were tearing, the spine of the book was flimsy and almost falling apart and the pages were fragile with a number of small rips. It also seemed to be more of a collection of notes rather than an actual book.

Could it really have been written by him? It certainly seemed old enough to have been one of Monzaemon's notebooks, and the information written down was quite detailed. Like he was constantly writing in it as he experimented.

"Yeah," Tetsuo breathed out, breaking Chiyo out of her little interlude. "I found it in a burned down house, the one where the explosions started. It looked interesting, so I took it and started reading." Extending a hand, the boy summoned up some Chakra Threads to emphasize his point. "I think you can guess the rest."

Guess the rest? Was this boy serious? Chakra Threads weren't exactly an advanced Jutsu, but they were _very_ specialized. The user required a not insignificant degree of Chakra control just to form them, much less actively manipulate them. To her knowledge, they'd never even been successfully taught outside of the Academy. And this boy learned it from a book?

Closing the book in her hands, she gave it back to Tetsuo, watching as he carefully stuffed it back into his bag. "You _really_ learned to form Chakra Threads by reading a book?"

"Yeah," the boy responded. He sounded a little nervous at her question. "Is something wrong?"

Chiyo shook her head in the negative. "No, not wrong. But it's very unusual. Are you really telling me that nobody actually taught you how to do that? That you learned it all from a book?"

"Yeah, I am."

Chiyo stared at the boy. Waiting, daring him to show some sign that he was lying. Some flinch, a glance away, any nervous tic that showed her he wasn't telling the truth.

But there was nothing. The boy was telling the truth.

' _Looks like he's even more interesting than I thought._ '

For a moment, Chiyo considered what this all implied. The boy had somehow learned a specialized form of Chakra control, without any help beyond the references in a book, and had mastered it to the point where he could use it with something as precise and intricate as juggling a bunch of twirling coins. And at such a young age, too.

Dear god, what would happen if this boy had the proper training?

Chiyo made her voice as hard as she could to make her point. She wasn't going to sugarcoat this. "Listen to me, Tetsuo. I'm not sure you realize just how impressive your accomplishment really is, but believe me when I tell you it's a big deal."

Tetsuo's face scrunched up slightly. "They're just strings."

"I assure you, they're _not_ just strings. What you've been doing isn't some parlor trick. It's a very specialized form of Chakra manipulation. So specialized in fact, that it's almost unheard of outside of the borders of the Land of Wind. Not to mention it's considered too advanced for anyone to learn outside of the Academy or certain apprenticeships."

The boy's eyes widened at that. Apparently, he never thought it was anything so impressive. Unsurprising, given that he'd likely never heard of them until now.

"You have a rare potential in you, Tetsuo. More than what I've seen in many people twice you age, and you're using it to work as a street performer. That's a waste when you could be using it for so much more."

The boy looked at her, his eyes a combination of confusion and some strange hope. "More?"

"Yes," Chiyo answered. "Much more. I'm saying you could become a Shinobi."

She let the words hang in silence for a while, allowing them to sink in. This was definitely a significant moment for the boy, discovering he could be something more than a street urchin. That he could have a better life than living hand-to-mouth every day.

"How," he questioned.

Chiyo smiled. "You would be enrolled in the Academy. You'd be staying her in the village, taking classes with other children your age. It won't be easy, but you have a chance to make much more of your life than what you have now."

The boy looked pensive at that, thinking it over. Smart of him, given just what she'd told him. Becoming a Shinobi wasn't just a job, it was a lifestyle. When you made the choice to become a Ninja, you didn't back out on it, and it would change you forever in a number of ways.

After a few minutes of silence, he spoke. "I don't really have enough money to stay for long."

"I know some people. I'm sure I could get you a stipend to handle your costs."

"I don't even have a place to stay."

Chiyo smiled down on him. "I know just the place."

oOoOoOoOo Tetsuo oOoOoOoOo

"You really live here?"

Tetsuo was currently looking around the inside of what was, apparently, the old lady's home. On the outside, it looked like any other building in the Hidden Sand Village. A large upward dome of clay or stucco, good for keeping an opposing temperature to whatever was outside.

 _Inside_ , though, it was anything besides what he'd come to expect. The interior was Spartan, but well maintained and had enough furnishings to have a warm and homey feel.

But what surprised him the most was that the large interior happened to be made for _one_ family. This place probably had enough room to give a large section of space for every family from his old village and still have plenty of room left over. Granted, that wasn't saying much, but it was still very surprising. Compared to the huts from back at home, this place was practically a palace.

"I used to," Chiyo responded. Her tone seemed far off, as if she wasn't really here. "Now it's just an empty building gathering dust. It might as well go to someone who needs it."

Tetsuo almost jumped in joy. Never, even in his wildest dreams, had he expected a turn of fortune like this. If somebody had told him yesterday that some old lady would trip him up with Chakra Threads, bring him out for a ton of food, watch the night stars with him, tell him could be a Ninja and said she could arrange for the money and living space to make it happen, he'd have slowly backed away while looking for escape routes from the obvious loony. But it really happened, he was really here and he was gonna be training to be a Shinobi.

"Can I look around?"

"As long as you don't break anything, fine."

He raced off before she even finished talking.

oOoOoOoOo Chiyo oOoOoOoOo

"I never should've let that brat run off," Chiyo muttered. The runt had just bolted down into the halls the moment she said 'don't break anything'. He didn't even both waiting for her to finish.

So, muttering 'brat' under her breath as she searched her old home, she looked for the boy who had vanished like a ghost. Was he actually hiding from her, somehow? Given the mischievous side she'd seen so far, Chiyo wouldn't put it past him.

Flipping the lights on as she walked through the halls, Chiyo prowled around the inside of her old home in search of the boy. Even if he was hiding from her, she knew this place like the back of her own hand. He wouldn't stay hidden for long.

Surprisingly, her search didn't last very long. She only got to the second floor when she noticed something off. An open door, to a room she had personally spent years in. A room with a door she remembered closing, once and for all, a long time ago.

Walking up to the door, Chiyo opened it and stepped into her old Puppet room.

Coming back in here brought so many memories. Some good, others bad, but she had sworn to leave it all behind years ago.

Seeing Tetsuo staring at the racks and racks of puppets in awe, she couldn't help thinking if it was a cruel joke of fate that she'd find him here. It would certainly fit her experiences. Fate had been a real _bitch_ to her after all.

Turning to her at the sounds of Chiyo's footsteps, Tetsuo stared at her as he worked his mouth for something to say. "Are these yours?"

"Yes," she answered, her voice as heavy as her own heart. Coming back in here to see such a look of wonder on a young boy's face….it reminded her of Sasori all over again.

"THAT'S SO COOL!"

She blinked, stirred from her melancholy at the loud shout. What did the boy just say? "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"These are all Ninja Puppets, right? I read about them in that book. They're supposed to be weapons for Ninja right."

Chiyo couldn't help the slight twitch of her right eyebrow. Yes, she wanted to leave all the talk of these creations behind her, she wanted to let it all go. But hearing the boy refer to them as mere _weapons_ was an insult to the art and its practitioners that she couldn't ignore.

"No. They're not just weapons, brat. They're a complete and systematic form of Ninja combat in their own right. Everyone who uses them is a specialist in a very elite and demanding field. The Shinobi capable of wielding these puppets aren't just Ninjas with an extra tool. They're one of the Hidden Sand's greatest military assets, and you should speak of them as such."

Alright, so maybe her opinion was a little biased, but nothing she said was really false. The Puppet Brigade of Hidden Sand was an elite and exclusive corps. of highly skilled specialists and had been responsible for a significant number of key victories and operations in the last two World Wars. Chiyo knew because she'd actually _been_ in a number of them herself.

It seemed that her little rant had actually had some effect on the boy, if the look on his face was any indication. Good. The last thing this Village needed was people that didn't take such a line of work seriously. A dismissive attitude could get a Ninja, even an elite and promising one, killed.

"You're one of them, aren't you?"

"…..I used to be," she conceded. There was no reason to lie about it, he'd find out on his own anyway. Besides, he'd probably find some way to needle an answer out of her at some point.

"Can you teach me?"

Chiyo blinked at that. "What?"

"Can you teach me to use them?" Tetsuo asked, looking up at her with an intense look in his eye. Seems he took her speech a little too well.

"No." She responded, her tone flat as the look on her face. "I left these things behind me a long time ago. Besides, you'll be learning at the Academy."

The intensity in his eyes didn't waver. "Why won't you teach me? You weren't saying anything but good stuff about them, before."

She stared down at the boy with her hardest gaze. "I told you, I left that part of my life behind me. I'm not interested in teaching anyone, least of all some kid I just met on the streets."

"You taught someone before, didn't you?"

….Dammit. Now the brat was asking _those_ kinds of questions. "Only once," she dismissed, trying to shrug the question off quickly. "And I'm not doing it again."

"If you taught someone before, why won't you teach me?"

Oh, for the love of god, this brat just wouldn't drop it!

"The last one was a prodigy and I'm not interested in teaching any less." The excuse sounded weak even to her, but it was the best she could come up with on the spot. But the look in Tetsuo's eyes didn't show he'd back down. She just knew this was gonna be a hard fight.

"I can already make the Chakra Threads. You said yourself that I had talent. What have you got to lose?"

What did she have to lose? Dammit, this brat had some _gall_ asking her that. What did she have to lose? Another person to this damned form of warfare? Another disciple losing his mind because of its demanding requirements? Another disaster like her own Grandson?

But that was only the surface. Deep down, the reason was that she was scared. Scared to hope again, to believe in something good happening only for it to be crushed once more. And this damned brat was pulling on that one thread with everything he had.

There was no way for her to simply convince him with arguing. She'd have to try a different approach.

"Fine then," she breathed out, surprising the boy. "You want to learn this? Then I'll make you a deal."

Walking over to a desk of drawers, Chiyo opened up the compartments in search of something. A very particular book on Puppeteering. Ruffling through the old piece of furniture for a while, she eventually found it in the bottom right. Tossing it to Tetsuo, she ground out a serious "Read this."

He opened it up, pouring over the contents. After taking dome time to observe the writing, he closed it and looked at her. "This is a book about Ninja Puppet manipulation."

"That's right." Chiyo didn't even try to hold back her wicked smile. "You'll find a number of different practice motions for the Puppets in that book. In one week, I expect you to have mastered at least half of them. I'll come by to test you and see how proficient you've gotten. If you pass, I'll teach you. But if you fail, you'll drop this whole subject. You'll learn everything in the Academy and you'll like it."

The boy was glaring back at her, but didn't give an immediate answer. He was weighing his options, she could tell, measuring his odds of success against the odds of failure. Once again, Chiyo couldn't help but be a little surprised at the boy's sense on caution and realism. She briefly wondered how many Shinobi would still be alive if they had possessed the same caution as this boy.

"Your last apprentice. Did he pass this test too?"

"Yes."

That was a bold faced lie. She never had Sasori take a test like this, she wouldn't give it to anybody interested in the art of Puppetry back then. But right now, she just wanted this boy to fail the damned test and drop the subject entirely.

"Alright then." He took a seat in the corner of the room and started reading. He was determined, Chiyo could give him that. "And _when_ I pass, you're gonna teach me and _you're_ gonna like it."

Chiyo kept her face carefully blank at the statement as she silently walked out. There was no taking anything back now. Whatever happened, happened. For better or worse.

oOoOoOoOo Tetsuo oOoOoOoOo

It was just his first day and Tetsuo was already having problems with moving the puppets. He'd barely been taking the time to eat and attend to his own needs as he leapt into the training, pushing himself past his limits to pass Chiyo's test. Everything was so much easier in the book, he thought he could follow the instructions like he did to learn the Chakra Threads. But, apparently, it was something completely different to use the Threads for anything substantial. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but he didn't think it would be _this_ hard.

"Damned old crone. Of course she wouldn't give me a book with anything useful."

He could tell the subject of an apprentice was a difficult one for her. Hell, he was surprised she even made this concession at all. But he'd read about Ninja Puppeteering in that book he'd found, back in that charred husk of what used to be someone's home.

He wasn't sure why the image of being a Ninja Puppeteer was so compelling to him. Maybe the thought of being someone in control? Of being the one pulling the strings instead of fate pulling his own? It was a little disturbing, thinking about it like that, but he couldn't really say the thought was an unappealing or inaccurate one.

There was a certain allure in holding the strings of something powerful, being able to turn it against anyone who wanted to hurt you. In being able to have something do the fighting for you as you watched the fight progress like a big game of Shogi.

But, most of all, it was because of that _thing_ that had destroyed his home. The monster that turned his whole life into a scene out of hell on earth. He wasn't entirely sure how he knew, but somehow, he knew that abomination was some kind of puppet.

And he _wanted_ it. He wanted that kind of power. The power to keep anything like that from ever happening again. And if learning how to use these puppets was the first step to gaining it, he'd do whatever it took.

So, with just a moment to grit his teeth, Tetsuo formed up some Chakra Threads and started again.

oOoOoOoOo

It was day three, and Tetsuo was happy to say he'd made some progress. After all his effort and re-reading of the instruction manual the old lady had given him, he gotten the puppet to start moving. The motions were clunky and uneven, forced and rather inefficient, but it was _moving_ now.

Granted, it wasn't exactly something momentous, but it was still progress. Progress! Now, he just had to make the motions more economical. Fluid. Being able to move a puppet didn't mean anything if it couldn't move _right_. That was something the book made very clear and constantly stressed.

Pushing his exhaustion to the back of his mind, he summoned more Chakra Threads and attached them to the Anchor Seals on the Puppet. The tiny Seals that acted as the connection points and control nodes for the Puppet.

Willing the Puppet to life and twitching his fingers in command, Tetsuo willed the Puppet to _move_.

It took several steps and got halfway into a bow before it collapsed to the ground, Tetsuo almost joining it.

"Dammit!"

oOoOoOoOo

It was day five now, and Tetsuo was on the verge of tearing his hear out. He'd made so much progress with getting the Puppets to move, but he just couldn't make them move _right_. They always seemed to sway and step in clunky and jerky ways with every motion. Worse, he was almost out of time. Chiyo would be showing up in two days to test him, and if he failed she'd send him to the Academy.

No way. He'd _seen_ the Academy when he first came into the Village, when he was wandering in a search for any places where he could perform in front of any crowds. The place was an absolute _wreck_. He didn't know why the place seemed so run down, but it had obviously fallen on hard times. They could probably only _barely_ cover the very basic necessities for being a Shinobi. Much less help him learn anything impressive.

No. If he wanted to become a _real_ Shinobi, someone with real power, he'd need to learn it from Chiyo. Something in Tetsuo's gut was telling him that the old lady was _way_ more than she appeared to be, and that feeling hadn't steered him wrong before. He was gonna be her apprentice, even if he had to push himself to death's own front door to pull this off.

' _But how?_ ' He'd tried everything the book said, but it didn't work. Could it have been leaving something out? Some kind of crucial detail? It was a worryingly likely scenario. He hadn't exactly studied much on the mechanics of Puppeteering, the book only told him so much, but from what he could gather, it was a very detailed and intricate method of combat with very demanding requirements. He seriously doubted _everything_ he needed could be put in a single book.

He let out a long sigh, trying to recollect himself. Panicking and rushing headlong into this without thinking would only hurt his chances. He wouldn't have agreed to this test if he didn't think he could pull it off. He'd already done a lot of the hard parts, so there must've been something he missed. Thinking over everything in the book, re recited the information related to animating the Puppets with the Chakra Threads.

' _Okay. By molding the Chakra into a fine and condensed form, the user may extend it from their fingertips in the form of Chakra Threads. Constantly dissipating, the Threads can only be maintained over a significant period of time by giving them a small but consistent flow of Chakra to keep them from degrading. The Threads themselves are used to both power and create a connection between the Puppet and Puppeteer. The connection is achieved through the usage of Anchor Seals, a type of seal that….._ '

Tetsuo blinked. "Wait a minute. The Seals."

Looking at the Puppet once again, Tetsuo tried one more time to move it like the diagrams in the book showed him to.

Attaching the Chakra Threads to the Seals, this time he manipulated the connection a little differently.

oOoOoOoOo Chiyo oOoOoOoOo

Chiyo walked down the street to her old home, not really knowing what to feel right now. On the one hand, she was happy that the day had finally come to get the boy out of her hair. Happy to finally know she could drop the whole matter and leave any ideas of an apprenticeship behind her.

But there was another part of her that was feeling something very different. The boy had actually grown on her a little, with his irreverent sense of humor and pigheaded stubbornness. It actually reminded her of herself when she was younger, always just as flippant with authority figures as she could get away with. Always reminding them that, for all that they could give her orders, they could never change _her_ or any opinions she had.

And maybe, just maybe, there was a small part that hoped he would pass.

She stopped walking at that thought, honestly surprised it had even popped up. "Oh, that's just perfect. Now I'm going senile as well as throwing my hip out."

Stomping off in a huff, she decided to hurry and just get this day over with and get these damned thought _out of her head_.

Finally reaching the door to her old house, she unlocked the door and entered with a shout of, "Brat! It's test time, so shape up!"

But there was no response. The only sound in the house seemed to be the echoing of her own declaration. If she didn't know better, she'd think nobody was really here.

Letting out a groan, she walked further in before closing the door behind her, already knowing where he must be. Moving through the halls, Chiyo glared at the stairs she needed to ascend to reach the next floor. Bracing herself to go up the steps, Chiyo rose with a muttered, "Should've had a damned elevator installed."

After finally reaching the door to her old Puppet storage room, she opened it to the sight of Tetsuo laying on the ground and sleeping under a blanket. Did he actually sleep in _here_ instead of using one of the beds? Jeez, he could've at least used the damned couch. What an odd boy.

Moving closer, she caught a brief glimpse of his sleeping face. He looked surprisingly peaceful, actually. As if all the painful memories of his past couldn't touch him. It was surprising, considering what he'd gone through. Unfortunately, it was time for him to wake up and fail so she could get on with what remained of her own life.

In her defense, she only kicked him _very_ lightly.

"Time to wake up, brat."

He stirred at the sensation of her sandaled foot lightly jabbing his back and the sound of her voice, his eyes fluttering open as he woke up. Sitting himself up on the floor, he released a great and heavy yawn. The boy obviously hadn't been sleeping much, especially if the look of his eyes was any indication. Slightly bloodshot and with pronounced lines around his eye sockets, he looked like he'd barely gotten any sleep for the whole week. Unfortunately, she wasn't exactly in a mood for giving sympathy.

"Come on, it's time for the test. You remember, right."

Blinking his eyes to clear them of the morning sand, he stared up at her. What she didn't expect was the look of triumph in his eyes. What was that look for? Did the boy have something planned?

"Oh, right. The test. Don't worry, I'm ready."

Ready? "Alright then. Show me."

Fully rising up from the ground, Tetsuo walked over to….wait a minute. "Hold on. Why are you going to _that_ Puppet?"

Tetsuo turned and looked at her in confusion, apparently not sure about the meaning of the question. "Waddya mean _this_ Puppet? It's the one I'm gonna use."

Before Chiyo could protest and save the boy from embarrassment, he'd already formed up some Chakra Threads and attached them to the Anchor Seals on the Puppets Chassis.

And to Chiyo's amazement, it started to _move_. The boy had obviously been practicing non-stop since she'd left the house a week ago, the Puppets movements all precise and fluid as it went through every motion. Not just the half she'd dared him to do, but _all_ of the motions depicted in the book. ' _Impossible._ '

Chiyo's amazement must've showed on her face, because Tetsuo took a glance at her expression and flashed her a smug grin that honestly made her want to slap him. Having the Puppet take a bow beside him, he exclaimed, "Thank you, thank you, for coming to see how amazing I am."

Chiyo shook herself from her shock and glared at the boy. No way was she going to take that snark lying down.

"The best? Don't make me laugh. You're still just a beginner. Any Puppeteer worth their salt could've moved that damn thing with only a single Chakra Thread."

The brat rolled his eyes at her remark as he came out of the bow, somehow getting the Puppet to do it too. "Yeah yeah yeah, I know. I've got a _long_ way to go, right? I've gotten ready to hear that since a week ago. But I _passed_ , right? I got the Puppet to move, so I'm your apprentice now."

' _A long way to go? The brat's made a big first step already and he doesn't even realize it._ '

Taking a glance at the Pupped he'd chosen to use, she couldn't help but be a little impressed. When she'd given him the instruction manual, she'd assumed he'd be practicing with one of the _beginner_ Puppets that she kept in the room, not one of the more complicated combat models like the one actually shown in the book. Those were _much_ harder to use, generally only given to someone who had already graduated from an apprenticeship. Even if he used a Chakra Thread from each of his ten fingers to animate it, what he just did was _phenomenal_.

Of course, she wasn't actually going to _tell_ him that. He'd just get a swelled head.

He'd apparently gotten rather nervous from her lack of response, fidgeting slightly as he stood in place. He probably thought she'd go back on their deal, but that wouldn't happen. She gave the boy her word and she was going to keep it.

' _Besides,_ ' she thought, even as a smile worked its way onto her face. ' _Maybe having this runt as an apprentice wouldn't be so bad._ '

"Nice to know you have some realism in that thick head of yours. But yes, you've passed. Barely."

If the boy was insulted by her choice of words, he sure didn't show it. Then again, he probably didn't notice her last word after he started cheering.

 **xXx**

Hello everybody, and welcome to my first Naruto Fic.

First off, allow me to assuage a particular worry some of you might have. All those crappy Naruto attempts at philosophy like the cycle of hatred, forgiveness, understanding one another, the power of friendship and never giving up? That's not gonna be here, I plan on having my characters and story being much more realistic and down to earth. You're not gonna hear any of that spiel coming from Tetsuo. That stuff is just so fucking sickening for me to hear by now that I've essentially stopped watching Naruto altogether, I just couldn't take the bullshit. In fact, I've been turned completely off by some otherwise good Naruto fics because of some combination of that idealistic bullshit ad shoddy attempts at trying to use it in dramatic writing or speeches to make it sound more inspiring or cool. I swear, I actually get headaches while trying to read it.

Anyway, please stay tuned for the next chapter. If you're also interested in any Fics about RWBY, Highschool DxD or maybe a Naruto/RWBY Crossover, feel free to go check the other stories on my profile. Though I'm afraid to say I haven't gotten to the last one yet. That might take some more time.

I hope you enjoyed reading this and you have a Merry Christmas!


	2. A New Life And The Entrance To Hell

Chapter 2

 **A New Life…And The Entrance To Hell**

Hello – Text

"Hello" – Talking

' _Hello_ ' – Thinking

 _Hello_ – Emphasis

oOoOoOoOo – Scene Break

xXx – Chapter Start

 **xXx** – Chapter End

'Hello' – Important Title

xXx

oOoOoOoOo Chiyo oOoOoOoOo

"Alright, alright, enough with the cheering."

For the love of God, this brat just couldn't stand still after she said he passed. He actually seemed to cheer _louder_ every time she told him to quiet down. Anyone else might take it as the excitement of some young boy, but Chiyo saw the look in his eyes whenever she was about tell him to quit cheering. The little brat was doing it on purpose to get on her nerves.

' _Fine,_ ' she thought. ' _Two can play at that game._ ' If telling him to stop wouldn't do anything, she just needed something that could throw him off. Fortunately, she had something in mind.

"You know that Puppet is a defect, right?"

The runt stopped cheering and looked at her in puzzlement. "What?"

"The Puppet you used. You knew it was a defect, right? Why did you still use it?" Ah yes, she'd spent years perfecting her poker face just for situations like this. Bold faced lies to little children with swelled egos.

"It wasn't defective," he challenged. The boy tried to keep his tone firm, but she could tell from the way his eyes almost darted to the Puppet that he was having doubts.

Putting all her skills in manipulation to the test, Chiyo threw her head back in laughter and tried to give the impression of humored incredulity. "You didn't know? Hahahahaha. Oh that's just priceless. You spent all this time trying to use a broken Puppet!"

The blooming red of embarrassment and indignation on the little brats face was worth all the ryō in the village.

oOoOoOoOo Tetsuo oOoOoOoOo

Tetsuo was busy packing what few possessions he had. Granted, that category wasn't exactly a large one, give his meagre resources, but mostly it was to distract himself from the laughing of the crazy old lady behind him. He couldn't help but let out a frustrated whisper at the sound. "Stupid hag doesn't know talent when she sees it."

"I heard that," she said, causing Tetsuo to freeze in place. Wow, good hearing.

"What was that," he asked, putting on his best look of childhood innocence. Needless to say, she wasn't fooled.

"Don't try that on me brat. It won't work on someone who already knows you're evil to the core."

' _Oh, right,_ ' he thought, dropping the expression. ' _She already knows._ '

Well, at least she stopped laughing. Turning his back to her, he went back to stuffing everything into his sack.

"How did you move the Puppet, anyway?"

He rolled his eyes. This again?

"I heard you before. It was a defect and I wasted my time. Let it go, granny."

"That's not what I'm asking, brat"

Something in her tone made him stop packing and turn around. He didn't bother asking her the question, she clarified the moment their eyes met.

"I'm asking how you actually _moved_ it. It wasn't really a defect, it was a Combat Puppet used for actual fighting. I thought you were going to use one of the Training Puppets. You should've, they're much easier for beginners. So how did you manage to make it move at all?"

Tetsuo narrowed his eyes. What was she talking about? He just used the Chakra Threads and attached them to the Anchor Seals like the book said.

…..Well, maybe not _entirely_ like the book said. He had to put a little creativity into it to make the Puppet move, but he was pretty sure it wasn't against the rules or anything.

"Well," he nervously began, trying to pick out the right words. "When I got started, I could barely make it move at all. At first, I thought it was because there wasn't enough Chakra in the Chakra Threads, but that didn't really make sense. So, instead of giving it more power, I….let some of the Chakra saturate into the chassis surrounding the Anchor Seals. You know, to make it more receptive. I only got the idea two days before the deadline, though."

"Hold on," said the old lady, sounding incredulous. "You're saying you got it to move by, essentially, giving it a bastardized Chakra Network around the Anchor Seals?"

She was staring at him now. He didn't get what the big deal was. The point was that he got it to move, right? That was all that mattered. It's not like he…..hey, wait a minute!

"The Puppet wasn't a defect!?"

Chiyo's face suddenly became very embarrassed as she recognized the verbal slip.

oOoOoOoOo

"Granny, what are we doing out here in the desert?"

Chiyo's right eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "I'm taking you home with me for your apprenticeship."

Tetsuo rolled his eyes at her. "Yeah, I can get that. What I don't get is why you haven't signed me up for the Academy."

"Because the training to become a Puppeteer is an intense and long term process and the Academy doesn't have the specialists or equipment to do it. Even if it did, you're _my_ apprentice, so I'd be training you anyway. This is the most effective solution."

He pouted and put on his most disappointed look. "You mean it's not because I'm so adorable?"

He stopped walking as Chiyo whirled around at him and glared down. "You're trying _very_ hard to get under my skin, aren't you?"

He smirked. "What gave it away?"

They stood there for a while, Chiyo looking down with a grin and Tetsuo looking up with a smile. Then they just both burst out laughing. The situation was just too much for them to hold it back.

It didn't take long before the laughing died down and they kept walking, this time with smiles on their faces. "I knew there was a reason I started liking you brat."

oOoOoOoOo

He gaped. He just stood in place and _gaped_ at the long pathway that led up the cliff to what he assumed was the entrance to a home that was _carved out inside the fucking cliff itself_! Just how big was this lady's actual house if it was inside a cliff?

He was so busy staring up that he didn't even notice Chiyo's look of smug satisfaction towards his show of surprise. She probably considered it payback for all the snark he'd been dealing her way. Sadistic hag. Only _he_ was allowed to do that.

…What? He was still a kid. Kids are supposed to be hypocrites until they grow up. Don't judge.

"That's a cliff," he noted dumbly, unable to grasp something wittier.

Chiyo solemnly nodded, a serious motion that was completely ruined by the look on her face. "That's a cliff," she repeated back at him.

"You live in a cliff." Wow, he was in top form today, wasn't he?

"I live in a cliff." Her voice was trembling from her suppressed chuckles.

His eyes drifted down from the door to the winding path on the cliffside that led up to it. The very _long_ path that led up. He paled, turning to her with a look of dawning horror. "There's a shortcut, right?"

Chiyo smiled at him like a hungry shark that just got the scent of blood in the water.

oOoOoOoOo

Tetsuo's lungs were burning in his chest from the hike up. Not a figure of speech, it felt like his lungs were _actually_ burning as he gulped down and let out great gasps of air. The feeling was even worse as he tried to move his legs, it was like trying to stand up on a pair of shaky wet noodles every time tried to brace himself on them.

By the time they finally reached the door, he was almost _literally_ dead on his feet. "You (huff) are (huff) EVIL!"

Chiyo smiled down at him from beside the huge door as he finally caught up to the end of the path, feeling triumphant at exhausting Tetsuo so badly that he couldn't even form the energy to give her a deadpan remark. "Consider it your first dose of endurance training, you little punk."

"ENDURANCE TRAINING!" He shouted, hysterical at the implications. "THAT WAS FUCKING TORTURE! WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU HAVE AN ELEVATOR INSTALLED YOU SADISTIC OLD HAG!?

"Because this sadistic old bag feasts on your suffering," she responded.

The scary thing was that he kinda believed her. He just hoped that didn't mean he was gullible.

"Anyway," she shrugged off the look of satisfaction, beckoning him over to the side of the door where she stood. "Enough chitchat, time to get in."

Muttering "crazy old hag" under his breath as he approached, he took one _agonizing_ step after another. Dear God, it felt like his whole body was about to give out on him. His mutterings became a mantra to block out the pain as he struggled with every movement of his feet. Feet that were starting to feel less like flesh and blood over bone and more like blocks of lead.

Eventually, after what felt like _hours_ to him, he reached her. Barely managing a slight glance upward, he caught her moving her hands in weird ways. Hand-Signs maybe?

When she finished, the earth in front of her _moved_! Shuffling and flowing aside as it created an entrance straight through the hard rock surface and bypassed the door entirely. "Come along brat."

' _Oh great,_ ' he thought. ' _More walking. Joy._ '

Wasn't sarcasm such a wonderful thing?

oOoOoOoOo

By the time they exited the tunnel, Tetsuo felt like he was about to drop dead on his feet he was so tired. So _exhausted_. He just wanted the pain in his legs and lungs to go away.

He barely even noticed just how big the place was inside. It had a bigger interior all around than the old hag's last house had mass in general. You could probably fit the inhabitants of a small town in here.

"Oh, back already, sis? And I see you've brought company."

Tetsuo almost stumbled from the unknown voice speaking out. Barely catching his balance, he turned to his right to see the source and spotted an old man with his upper head wrapped in a long bandage and _huge drooping_ eyebrows dangling from his face.

' _Oh, Grandpa Eyebrows._ ' He may or may not have been slightly delirious.

"That's right, Ebizō," Chiyo answered. Were they siblings or something? They were definitely old enough. Wait, didn't he actually just call her sis? How did that just fly over his head? "This boy is Tetsuo and he will be living with us from now on."

The man didn't quite look shocked, but his right eyebrow lifted slightly. ' _How does he do that when they're so BIG?_ ' Yeah, Tetsuo was definitely getting delirious. He really should've drank more water before they left the village.

The old man took a moment to look at him, staring him over with a searching gaze before he turned back to his sister with a puzzled expression. "Care to explain?"

"Oh, it's quite the story," she chirped. He just _knew_ she was enjoying this. She probably had a quip prepared for this very situation, having planned it out on the trek here. "This sweet young man offered to escort this little old lady back home. I just couldn't turn him down, he was so polite." Oh, she was lining up for a ringer, he just knew it.

She turned to him with a smile that wouldn't be out of place on the face of a Buddha, so convincing that Tetsuo himself almost bought it. Then she let him have it. "Then he offered to escort me to and from the village every day as my personal escort. Isn't that sweet?"

His eyes widened to dinner plates as he started to hyperventilate, panicking at what the horrifying monster just told him. ' _Escort? Village? To? From? Up and down? EVERY DAY?_ '

Tetsuo dropped on the floor from the shock.

oOoOoOoOo Ebizō oOoOoOoOo

"Alright, sis, what's going on here?"

Seriously, Ebizō was starting to get concerned. His sister had been acting strangely for the whole week, staring back in the direction of the village before turning away with a mutter of "brat" under her breath.

And that was only the obvious signs. He'd known Chiyo for a _very_ long time and had plenty of opportunities to memorize her quirks and find ways to analyze her moods. Like noticing how she was serious at times when she would otherwise be playful. Like when she would glance at the door to her Puppet storeroom for a second as she passed it by. Like how she hadn't tried to play dead and scare him for _the whole week_. That was practically her only hobby, now that she wasn't so active.

It barely took a second after seeing the boy to know he was the _brat_ Chiyo had been muttering about. It was obvious that the boy had been on her thoughts for some reason. Regardless, Ebizō figured it was only a passing thing. He and Chiyo both had gotten to the age where they just started shrugging everything off.

But then, she brought the boy back here, half dead from the walk, and said he would be living with them from now on. For the first time, he had honestly thought his sister had finally gone senile.

After the poor thing seemed to drop dead on his feet, Chiyo carried him off to an empty room and put him to bed. She did it with a strange degree of caution that he hadn't seen in her for a long time, slow and careful.

And _then_ , standing in the hall with him, she answered his question.

"Simple, brother," she responded, her tone oddly serious. "I've got myself a new apprentice."

And at that point, Ebizō was _certain_ his sister had finally gone off the deep end.

He was pretty sure the clacking sound in the hall was the noise of his jaw landing on the floor.

…Then again, maybe it just dislocated. He was definitely around that age

oOoOoOoOo Chiyo oOoOoOoOo

' _Oh, poor Ebizō. Always so excitable. It's almost sad._ '

Really, it was her brother's own fault. He should've gotten wiser to her tricks by now, they'd certainly known each other long enough.

Eventually, he managed to regain his composure and pulled his jaw back up. For a while, he didn't seem to know what to say to her. Unsurprising, given what she'd just said. He still remembered the day Sasori disappeared from the world, her first and, to date, only apprentice. That didn't exactly set an encouraging tone for further attempts.

He also likely remembered the scene she'd made some time after Sasori was declared missing. She didn't exactly remember the details, but she was able to put the pieces together from a combination of quick questions and her own blurred memories. Apparently, she had gotten rip roaring drunk and started shouting out a great tirade. Swearing up and down and all around that she would never take up an apprentice again. Peppered with plenty of just plain swearing in general. Things like that tended to stand out.

For a moment, she thought he would just drop the conversation and walk away, but his voice came out hard as he spoke. "You can't be serious."

"I _am_ ,' she shot back, standing her ground.

"Why?" he asked, voice heavy and serious. She hadn't heard him use that voice in a _very_ long time. "Chiyo, I know losing Sasori was hard on you, it hurt me too, but he's _gone_. He may very well be dead, but teaching this boy won't bring him back. You're too smart to think otherwise."

"You're right," she agreed, conceding the point. "But that's not why I'll be teaching him."

"Then, why? What reason could you _possibly_ have to take on another apprentice? Especially after Sasori? I don't know what this boy did that you found so impressive, but what could get you interested in training someone _now_?"

"He can already use Chakra Threads."

Ebizō stood still and blinked, his next exclamation all but frozen in his throat. He had to take a moment to gather his wits before responding. "Come again?"

"The boy can already use Chakra Threads," she repeated, before building on it further. "To juggle coins. While they twirled in the air and landed on his fingers."

Ebizō's response was silence as he stared at her. She couldn't blame him for having trouble believing that, if somebody told _her_ she probably wouldn't have believed it. But she was his sister, and that meant he could trust what she said.

"You're sure about that?" He questioned. "It wasn't some trick of the light or anything, some mistake?"

"I'm positive. He even recognized the Chakra Threads I summoned up to trip him with."

It spoke volumes about his experience with her when he didn't call her out on tipping a minor. Her brother turned towards the door, as if looking through it to the boy within. He looked back at her.

"….It's impressive, I'll admit."

"It's _more_ than impressive," she insisted, and it was. The thought of a mere civilian child learning to manifest Chakra Threads outside of an Academy was laughable. Becoming skilled enough to intricately use them? Unthinkable. But the boy did just that. And even more, besides.

"There's more. He also animated a fully constructed Puppet after only a single week of training. A combat model. And he used the Chakra Threads to essentially grant it a bastardized Chakra Network to make it respond better to his commands."

For a moment, it looked like her brother's eyes were about to pop out of their sockets and hit her in the face. He certainly looked shocked enough for it to happen, especially as his eyes seemed to widen with every passing second. "You can't be serious."

Her face hardened, expression firm as she looked her brother in the eye. "Serious as a heart attack."

So they stood staring at each other. One with a look of disbelief and another with a look of stubbornness. After what seemed like an hour, Ebizō deflated and his expression went back to normal. Letting out a deep breath, he looked back towards the door to the room that held Tetsuo within and seemed to consider on who was now sleeping in it.

"I suppose it would be nice having some extra company."

Chiyo grinned. "Don't be so sure. He's got a sense of humor just as funny as mine."

She barely bit back a laugh as he brother whirled on her with a look of dawning horror.

oOoOoOoOo Tetsuo oOoOoOoOo

Tetsuo groaned as he woke up. Dammit, he was hurting all over. His legs, his arms, his back, his chest, everything. What the hell happened? His memory was a little fuzzy, could he have passed out?

Wait…..yeah, that's exactly what happened. He passed out when granny Chiyo said…

He catapulted up from the bed with a shout of terror. He vaguely heard the sound of somebody outside the room saying, "There's the shout I've been waiting for."

The door of the room he was sleeping in slammed open with a bang against the wall. Turning his head, he saw the evil hag herself. The old woman stood with a presence that made her seem much taller, despite barely being any taller than himself. Tossing some clothes that she'd been holding under her left arm, she called out, "Dress up, brat. It's time for your training to get started, and I expect you to look good while doing it."

Leaving him in the room for some privacy, he started putting the clothes on. It wasn't anything particularly special. Just dark pants and a grey shirt along with some of that weird mesh he'd seen some Ninja wear under their clothes. Rounding it out was a pair of simple, green shoes. It wasn't extravagant or anything, but it was in much better condition than his old clothes.

Checking everything to make sure he put it all on right, he headed to the door and found Chiyo leaning against the wall outside, waiting for him. Seeing him exit, she pushed herself off the wall and beckoned him to follow her down the halls.

"'Bout time, brat." She quipped, easy as breathing. "Come on, let's get started."

Walking down the hall, Tetsuo couldn't help but wonder how this was all gonna start. What kind of Puppets was she gonna teach him to use? Oh man, he already had _so_ many ideas for some _awesome_ Puppets.

When Chiyo finally led him to their destination, some large training ground built into this huge cavern in the cliff, he couldn't hold himself back anymore.

"Watcha gonna teach me first?"

She turned back to him with a smile and he was immediately on guard. _Nothing_ good happened to him whenever this hag smiled. "Well, first I'll be teaching you Sealing. After that, I'll be teaching you Medical Ninjutsu. After that, I'll teach you formations and battle tactics. I'll probably throw in some lessons in poisons and information gathering. _Finally_ , after you have that all down, we'll see about crafting you your own Puppets. I might mix it up a little, but that's the gist of it."

He stared at her, not quite processing what she'd just said. He could see formations and battle tactics as a necessary part, but Sealing? Medical Ninjutsu? Everything else? What did that have to do with using the Puppets?

"What does that stuff have to do with Puppets?" He asked dumbly, uncomprehending.

Chiyo's face became stern and he immediately stiffened. "I told you that Puppeteering was a very demanding vocation, right? Well, I wasn't exaggerating. It demands a significant array of different skills to be used to the fullest and I won't settle for anything but the best out of you. Understand?"

His own face changed as his eyes became sharp of steel. No way was he backing down, not now. If it took all that to be the best, then he'd learn it all and more to be _better_ than the best. "I got it. Let's get started."

And on that day, a new Puppeteer started the long path to prominence.

 **xXx**

Well, here's the next chapter for A Scorpions Successor.

Now, if you're worried about Tetsuo becoming too powerful, don't be. Like with the other fics I'm writing, he's gonna work on his skills for quite a while before he really comes into his own as a powerful Shinobi. Did you really think I'd be cheap enough to make some seven year old kid a powerhouse outta left field? That'd just be crappy.

Also, since I didn't actually explain this already, this fic is chronologically, as of now, 12 years before Naruto starts. I have several reasons for this. One, because it'll give Tetsuo time to gain a reputation and come into his own for when things really get rolling. Two, so he'll have plenty of time to develop his abilities and not be a wallflower when the important fights come around. And three, I want some time for Tetsuo to personally develop and show his character in more depth.

And, before you ask, I have a pairing in mind. It's OCxOC because I had some difficulty coming up with a decent, and much later, romance subplot between Tetsuo and a pre-existing female character of the Hidden Sand Village.

Anyway, hope you've enjoyed the chapter and feel free to leave your opinions in the reviews. Also, feel free to check out some of my other fics, they're on my profile.


	3. Is Training Always This Boring?

Chapter 3

 **Is Training Always This Boring?**

oOoOoOoOo Tetsuo oOoOoOoOo

"This is so boring," Tetsuo quipped, lazily lying down on his back as he read the manual on Sealing Chiyo had given him to study.

"Of course it's boring, brat," Chiyo absently countered, fishing in the little pond that was built into the center of the large cavern. "Learning is _supposed_ to be boring. Otherwise, teachers like me wouldn't be get any kicks out of teaching you."

He groaned, "But it's been over a month. Almost two, actually." He let the manual leave his face as the hand holding it fell to the side, letting out a sigh of annoyance. "I thought I'd learn _something_ useful by now. Can't I just memorize the basic Seals for Puppetry and get to the good stuff?"

Chiyo shrugged noncommittally. "Of course you can. I'll just stop teaching you if you do."

He shot up in alarm at that. "What? Why?"

Finally taking her eyes off the small pond, Chiyo turned to give him _the look_. It was something he'd become very familiar with over the last month, a particular expression she'd shoot his way if he asked a particularly stupid question.

"Because it's a damned shortcut. If I introduced you to too many of them, you'd just end up stunting your development.

"What does memorizing Seals have to do with limiting me? Wouldn't it just make this go faster?"

Chiyo closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh as she shook her head. "Honestly, I really should've seen this coming. It seems that, for all you smarts, you're still a child after all."

His eyebrow twitched at the perceived insult. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

Putting the fishing pole on the ground beside her, Chiyo turned around to fully face him. Looks like she was in full on teacher mode now. "Think about it, brat. If Sealing is a necessary part of animating the Puppet, why do all the standard combat models come with their own Anchor Seals already installed?"

Tetsuo's brow scrunched up, not understanding. "So they can use the Puppets right away, right?"

"Wrong," Chiyo countered. "They Anchor Seals only work in the barest sense. They're actually very inefficient, so when somebody tries to steal or reverse engineer one of them they won't be able to make it work at its best."

"What does that have to do with me memorizing the arrays on your own Puppets?"

"Because it would still be limiting you," she answered. "Sealing isn't just used to make the Puppet move. It can be used to arm them with hidden weaponry, special functions and any number of other nasty surprises. Each of them requiring a different formula. You could never memorize _all_ of them, at best you'd be able to consistently remember a handful even after years."

Realization dawned on him, along with more than a little resignation. "So if I want to know _all_ of the Seals for that stuff, I'd need to know the theory and mathematics behind them." He looked back to the manual and grimaced. "And that means studying."

Chiyo nodded. "That's right, brat. Lots and lots of studying. So get back to reading and quit giving me lip."

Her point made, Chiyo grabbed her pole and went back to fishing. Did that pond even _have_ fish?

Tetsuo got into a sitting position and started reading again. He couldn't stay in one position while reading this stuff without falling asleep from boredom. Maybe if it was a novel of some kind, but it was just boring droning. There had to be _some_ way to break the monotony.

"Hey, granny," he called out.

"This better not be more lip," the old lady asserted, her voice coming out with the echo of a threat.

"Not any lip. But if I can't start practicing with Puppets yet, can I at least ask some questions about them?"

She considered it for a while before letting out a brief grunt in affirmation.

"Why aren't there any metal Puppets," he asked. Honestly, the question had been in the back of his mind since he started training. If anybody would have an answer, it would probably be Chiyo.

The question was apparently expected, because she didn't even turn his way to answer. "Several reason. One. Metal is significantly heavier that wood, so a metallic Puppet would be sluggish and an easy target, taking away the primary defensive trait of Puppets in general. Two. It's also much more expensive and difficult to get. A metal Puppet would take several times the cost to build compared to a wooden one. Third, metal isn't very conductive to Chakra. The only exception would be the Chakra Iron from the Land of Iron, and that would both be _ludicrously_ expensive while still being too heavy to be practical. Wood is just the best option available."

"If the metal is so heavy, couldn't you just slap on some seals to decrease its weight?"

"Did you not hear me right? Metal is a poor Chakra conductor unless it's made from Chakra Iron. Even if you made a good metallic chassis for the Puppet and slapped the Seals on, the Chakra imbued in the ink would be dispersed over time to the point that it became useless."

Tetsuo's brow furrowed in thought. "Wood is a better Chakra conductor in general, right? Why is that exactly?"

The old woman shrugged. "Nobody's really sure. There are quite a few theories, but the general belief is that it's because wood is a living material. Something that grows and matures the same way people do, and since life and Chakra are so closely connected it makes wood more conductive to it."

Tetsuo nodded in understanding at that. It matched up with what the manuals had implied, but Chiyo was a much more detailed and accurate source of information. At least when she wasn't messing with him.

"Where does the wood come from, though? There isn't exactly a lot of it out here in the desert, right?"

"We don't collect wood from the desert itself. We harvest our lumber from the borders along the edge of the Land of Wind. The forests are quite thick, meaning there's rarely any real shortage." She lowered her head and mumbled under her breath. "Thank God for small blessings, because we can't afford anything now."

Tetsuo looked at her, intrigued. "Waddya mean can't afford it? Are things really that bad?"

Chiyo let out a sigh of resignation, whether it was at his endless questions or the subject, he couldn't really tell. "It's the current Daimyō. Ever since the end of the last war, he's been outsourcing many of our most profitable contracts to other Hidden Villages instead of giving them to _us_. Our economy was never strong to begin with, but because of the outsourcing we're getting weaker as a whole with every passing year."

"But you're still one of the Hidden Village's," Tetsuo pointed out. "Doesn't that mean anything?"

"Only to the smaller countries along the borders. We might be larger and stronger than the smaller territories, but our standing has never been prominent among the Five Elemental Nations to begin with. Our recent economic downfall has only widened the gap even further, we've even had to make serious cutbacks on funding for the Academy. At our current pace, unless something is done, we may cease to me a major nation entirely."

oOoOoOoOo Chiyo oOoOoOoOo

Chiyo didn't even bother to turn around to Tetsuo's expression at the declaration. It was a hard pill to swallow, but you never improved things by just ignoring them.

The sad fact was that the Hidden Sand had never been very powerful, even at its strongest. Their territory was almost bereft of fertile soil and natural resources, not to mention any significant amounts of water. They'd managed to adapt by monopolizing the fertile soil around the oasis', tapping into some underground water veins deep beneath the surface and stockpiling their major resources, but that could only go so far. They got by, but the Land of Wind would never be a place of luxury, even for the people who adapted to it.

Besides a lack of easily harvested resources, their population and military wasn't much better. A lack of resources meant needing to keep to a smaller population base, which meant even _less_ people to be recruited as Shinobi to protect their borders and take paying contracts from clients both foreign and domestic to help bolster the economy.

On the other hand, the qualities that made the Land of Wind so hard to live in also made it a _very_ unappealing target for hostilities. It would be impossible for any force unfamiliar with the territory to scavenge enough food to even survive for a single day, much less a long-term invasion. A larger force would be almost impossible to push forward, simply because they would need long, expensive and _vulnerable_ supply lines. Supply lines that Sand Shinobi could easily intercept and plunder while harrying the enemy force with hit and run tactics. As a great general once said, 'Armies march on their stomachs', a saying that was just as true for Ninja as anyone else. That wasn't even getting into the desert's natural hazards like sandstorms, or poisonous creatures that could sneak around and kill you in your sleep. The Hidden Sand Village had _never_ been directly attacked since its founding, a mark of pride that none of the other Hidden Villages could claim.

Unfortunately, that meant very little in the realm of diplomacy. While the Hidden Sand rarely needed to worry about being invaded, it couldn't really mount invasions of its own because of pre-existing shortcomings. They didn't have the strength to make the other Villages listen to them. Hell, they couldn't even make their own Daimyō listen.

' _We'll find some way to survive,_ ' she thought. ' _We always have._ '

"The Daimyō sounds a real prick," Tetsuo dryly commented behind her. The bluntness actually got a chuckle out of her. Yes, this boy definitely had a good sense of humor.

"He sure is," she agreed. "Just don't let anyone else hear you say that. I'd hate to spend all my time teaching you only for you to die from something so stupid and render it moot."

"Oh, you're actually teaching me right now?"

Chiyo's answer was a sandal thrown into his face.

"Why, yes I am," she said. Grinning as she pulled out some kunai. Blunted, of course. "I'll be teaching you how to dodge next. Sound good?"

oOoOoOoOo Ebizō oOoOoOoOo

Ebizō was calmly sipping some tea in his room when he heard it. The assorted sounds of retreat, pursuit, screams, laughter and the clatter of metal on stone. For a moment, he'd honestly thought he had gone down the one way road to senility. At least until the sounds grew closer and he realized they sounded vaguely familiar, somehow.

"What in the world is going on?" he mumbled, rising up to check what the racket was coming from.

He'd barely entered the hallway when Tetsuo rushed right past him as fast as his legs could carry him, screaming "The crazy bitch is gonna kill me!" at the top of his lungs.

Just when the boy reached the intersection at the end of the hall with yet another scream of terror, Ebizō heard the laughing intensify as his sister appeared in pursuit, swinging kunai –blunt, he'd noted- in the air like a madwoman. She rushed right past him with a shout of "No, come back! I'm just trying to bruise you! Pain builds character!" and kept rushing for the poor boy.

Ebizō just stood there in the hallway, staring incredulously at what just happened. This place was turning into a damned madhouse.

He sighed. "I swear, if I don't go senile first than these two will drive me crazy."

Shaking his head in resignation, he just walked back into his room and left them to their hijinks.

oOoOoOoOo Tetsuo oOoOoOoOo

"Crazy lady and her damned kunai-AH HELL THAT STINGS!"

Tetsuo was currently doing his best to patch himself up after Chiyo's little training exercise with him. Well, what she _called_ a training exercise. He was halfway sure it was just the old lady being sadistic. He never thought old people could be so crazy, weren't people supposed to get mellow with age?

It was a good thing Chiyo had also taught him some basic first aid and thrown in some lessons on human anatomy. She said it was for three interconnected purposes. The more he learned about the human body, the better he could heal or harm it in turn. What can heal can also kill, that's what she said. It would also help him to better construct humanoid puppets by getting him to understand the joints and dimensions of the human body. Learning Medical Ninjutsu would also go a long way towards his Chakra Control, something that would be a boon for anyone, but especially a Puppeteer.

Activating his Mystical Palm Jutsu, Tetsuo's hands were engulfed in a soft green light as he brought them up to a particularly nasty bruise on the right side of his chest. Chiyo had gotten a little carried away.

He wasn't really skilled enough to do much more than use the Jutsu as a glowing painkiller, he just didn't know enough about the workings of his body right now. Chiyo had stressed pretty heavily that messing with your body without knowing how it worked was a one way ticket to ending up crippled at best or dead at worst. Given that she was probably speaking from experience, he believed her.

Still, as the pain from the bruise quickly faded, he couldn't help but think about just how amazing Medical Ninjutsu really was. Sure, it wasn't exactly flashy or destructive and it took lots of time and research to come into its own, but it was so damn _useful_ when you got it down. At the very least, even if it didn't actually kill anyone directly, it could be a significant force multiplier. The ability to keep yourself and others alive when they'd otherwise be dead was pretty damn important in any fight, especially when it started dragging on. It also did wonders for helping someone's Chakra control, a little thing anybody could use more of. Lastly, there was its ability to actually _enhance_ the body. He still remembered Chiyo mumbling about "That damn slug girl" under her breath. Looking it up, he'd found out about Tsunade and read up about how her Chakra control gave her superhuman strength and striking power.

Generally, Medical Ninjutsu could be summed up as boring, but practical. When taken to the extreme of it potential, though, it suddenly became awesome while still being just as practical.

Unfortunately, for all Chiyo's skills, Medical Ninjutsu wasn't really a specialty. Oh, she was good enough, but her specialty in it revolved around poisons, not healing. If he wanted to enhance his Medical skills further, than he'd have to do it some other way. Maybe he could get some practice in at the Village hospital. He wasn't sure about being able to heal any serious injuries, but he was a pretty good painkiller by now. That was good, right?

oOoOoOoOo Chiyo oOoOoOoOo

"Y'know," Tetsuo muttered. "Sometimes, there are points where this stuff finally starts making sense."

Chiyo didn't even bother to glance at him. "Is that so?"

"Yeah," he continued, reading more of the medical manual she had given him. "It takes a little attention to spot, but then it just…clicks. It's like a puzzle, but I don't start with any pieces. So you teach me how to actually make the pieces myself by teaching me this stuff. Y'know, Sealing, Puppetry, poisons and Medical Ninjutsu. It's all part of the puzzle." He glanced at her. "Does that make sense?"

She smiled wryly and let out a bark of sarcastic laughter. "Yes, boy. You finally understand the sheer brilliance and subtlety of my teaching methods. Feel free to praise me any time."

He didn't miss a beat. "I dunno, senility and craziness isn't really praiseworthy. You probably just did it all by mistake."

Chiyo responded in a way appropriate with all the maturity and dignity granted to her by old age.

She blew a raspberry at him.

"Thanks for proving my point, granny."

"Oh, I'm so sorry about that. These muscle spasms have been getting so frequent, now."

Tetsuo rolled his eyes. "It's not a spasm if you do it on purpose. Are you so old that you've forgotten that?"

Chiyo just gave him a brief harrumph before going back to her fishing.

She tried to downplay it, but the brat had made some surprising progress and showed good drive. He seemed quite determined to become a Puppeteer and gain all the skills necessary to become a great one. Several times now he'd asked if she knew any ways for him to advance his abilities more quickly. Better Chakra control exercises, ways to better his healing abilities, one time he'd actually asked to see her Puppets to get a better understanding of the mechanics. He showed particular interest in the use of Seals on the Puppets as a means of advancing their armaments and had increased his studies on the matter even further. He was constantly reading the manuals and taking various notes for later. He'd even asked her an Ebizō to quiz him on it to make sure he got everything right.

She had to admit, he was turning out to be a rather promising disciple. Even Ebizō didn't seem to have any complaints about him, and that was _really_ saying something, considering his lack of humor.

Really, sometimes she felt like she was the only funny person around for miles. It was a little depressing.

But she was getting off track. The fact was that Tetsuo was advancing with surprising quickness. A haste that had to do at least partially with his lack of any other obligations.

On the other hand, it also meant he hadn't had much time to do much physical activity since he'd arrived here two months ago. That little chase they went on a little over a week ago was his first real dose of physical activity since he'd arrived two months ago. That just wouldn't do.

Putting her fishing pole away, Chiyo rose up and walked over to Tetsuo as he lay on the ground, getting his attention by kicking the manual out of his hands.

The boy didn't seriously react, but the narrowing of his eyes showed that she had gotten his attention.

"Get ready for a walk, brat. We're heading to the village."

As his face paled at the implication of a long and arduous trek through the desert, Chiyo remembered another reason she liked having him around. He was so much fun to torment.

oOoOoOoOo Tetsuo oOoOoOoOo

Chiyo frowned down at him. "I knew I shouldn't have let you out of my sight. When exactly did you learn wall-walking?"

He flashed her a look of false amazement. "That's a thing? Wow, I had no idea I was so awesome."

Chiyo turned and headed towards the village, ignoring the possibility for a smart remark. She'd really been looking forward to seeing Tetsuo's exhausted look, so he wasn't surprised she'd be a little crabby. Still, if the choice was either exhaustion or ticking her off, he'd always choose ticking her off.

It was a good thing he'd gotten Ebizō to teach him how to walk on walls and other difficult surfaces while Chiyo wasn't looking. All it took to convince him was to say that it would be like playing a prank on Chiyo through Tetsuo himself without getting caught. The old man was so ecstatic from the opportunity to get back at her for all the time's she'd played possum on him that he got right into it. After learning the basics, it was just a matter of practicing when Chiyo wasn't looking. He still fell on his ass a few times early on, though.

Worth it.

oOoOoOoOo

"Waddya mean you're _leaving_ me here!?" Tetsuo shouted, staring at Chiyo as if she'd just grown a second head.

Chiyo smiled sadistically at him. "Oh, don't worry, brat. You know the way back, right? Consider it a bit of survival training. I'm sure you'll do fine. You're always going on about how awesome you are, right? Well, this shouldn't even be a problem for you."

What kind of explanation was _that_ supposed to be? He knew Chiyo must've brought him out here for _something_ , but he never expected this. Come to think of it, she'd been pretty quiet since…..he….oh.

He glared up at her. "This is for learning wall-walking behind your back, isn't it?"

He just glared harder as she started laughing at him. Yeah, this was definitely some kind of payback.

"I have _no_ idea what you're talking about, boy." He almost missed the movement of her hands sliding into the folds of her outfit. What he _didn't_ miss was the sudden burst of smoke and Chiyo shouting "See 'ya later" as he was sure she ran away.

Coughing from the smoke, he stumbled out and felt the morning sun on his skin again. Opening his eyes and looking around, he was pissed to realize Chiyo wasn't anywhere around. Damn, that hag could move fast when she wanted.

"Crazy old bitch."

oOoOoOoOo

It had been half an hour since Chiyo left and he was starting to get annoyed. It was nice having some time to himself in town, but what could he really _do_ with the sudden free time? He'd never really developed any real hobbies, being concerned with getting money to live from one day to the next. He didn't have any money to buy something, either.

With nothing else to do, he decided to head to the hospital and see if he could do some volunteer work. He'd advanced his Medical Ninjutsu to the point where he could heal scratches and small wounds, in addition to numbing pain. Chances are he'd only get better when experiencing the workings of the body first hand, and the hospital would be the best place.

Except, halfway to the hospital, he encountered a distraction in front of the Academy. Some kids at the entrance were throwing dirt and rocks at another kid around his own age.

"Get outta here, you can't be a Ninja!"

"Beat it, Shira!"

"Yeah, beat it!"

Shira, the other kid, just turned and left while trying to ignore their jeers and laughter.

' _Well, that's not nice. They should get an attitude adjustment._ '

Raising one of his hands, he molded some of his Chakra into the Chakra Threads he'd become so familiar with over the years. A Jutsu he'd long since been able to render invisible to the naked eye even _more_ easily since Chiyo had started teaching him. Quickly wrapping them around the legs of the three boys by the Academy, he pulled a finger and they all fell down in a heap. They stopped laughing, wondering just what the hell could've tripped them.

Well, Chiyo _did_ offer to teach him that little trick. It just took some time for her to bother.

He saw the boy they'd been jeering at, Shira, looking at him from the corner of his vision. Turning his head slightly, he flashed him a smile and a wink. The message was obvious.

 _Yep, that was me._

His eyes widened slightly and Tetsuo was doing his best not to laugh.

oOoOoOoOo

Shira looked at Tetsuo's hands as they were covered in a pale green light and worked on his bruises of his right arm, making them disappear in seconds and removing the pain. "I still can't believe you're a Medical Ninja."

Tetsuo shrugged. "I'm not really all that great at it. I can only heal scrapes or bruises and numb pain. I've got a long way to go before I'm anything special."

"But you can still do it despite being as young as me," Shira pointed out, testing out his newly healed arm when Tetsuo pulled his hands away and turned off the glow. "Not only that, you can also use Chakra Threads so well you can trip people while making them invisible. You can even walk on walls and have been studying Seals."

Okay, _maybe_ Tetsuo had let some of that slip. He couldn't help it, his ego needed some bolstering after Chiyo had punctured it by just leaving him here in the village.

"Y'know, when you put it like _that_ , it actually sounds pretty awesome." Fortunately, Shira seemed more than happy to point out his awesomeness as he used him for healing practice. It was a win-win scenario.

Then Shira's face dropped slightly and Tetsuo wondered if it was something he'd said. "It really _is_ awesome, though. A lot more awesome than just having Taijutsu and nothing else."

Tetsuo raised an eyebrow in question. What did Taijutsu have to do with anything? He asked Shira and the other boy responded with a humorless chuckle. Somehow, he knew this wasn't gonna be a happy story.

"I can't use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu at all. Taijutsu is all I can use, that's why I can't join the Academy. Why those other kids were laughing at me."

Oh. Ouch. That really had to hurt. Being an awesome Ninja was something almost every kid dreamt about at some point. He'd had the same dream a few times, too. I mean, what kid _doesn't_ dream about breathing fire from his mouth or shooting lightning from his eyes or whatever other Ninjutsu existed out there?

But that was the problem. The thing all those kids dreamt about were _Ninjutsu_ , not Genjutsu and definitely not Taijutsu. As far as a lot of kids were concerned, Taijutsu was just punching people really hard, it didn't have the same cool factor as Ninjutsu. Kids didn't know that Taijutsu could save a Ninja's life when they didn't have the time or distance to safely pull of Ninjutsu. They didn't know a well-placed punch to the right spot of the body could kill you just as easily as a fireball.

Hell, _he_ didn't get it either until Chiyo really started explaining it to him, telling him some stories from her own Shinobi career.

Well, maybe a confidence booster would help him.

"That's a load of crap. You could probably beat _me_ in Taijutsu."

Shira started slightly, apparently not expecting that. "What?"

Tetsuo got a lopsided grin. "Come on, what've you gotta lose. You and me. Taijutsu spar. No tricks."

oOoOoOoOo

It was only fifteen minutes after he made the offer and Tetsuo was already starting to regret the no tricks rule he'd set. It was hard _not_ to regret it when he was laying spread eagled on the ground, his clothes dirty from the scuffle.

' _And those idiots were laughing at this guy? He could've wiped the floor with them!_ '

Looking over at his opponent, he was a little pissed to note that Shira wasn't even winded. He didn't even break a damn sweat yet, or have any dirt on him. If anything, he looked apologetic for handing him his own ass so easily.

"Ow," Tetsuo groaned, prompting a look of worry from the other boy.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to"-

"My tender ego," Tetsuo finished, timing it just right to interrupt the other boy mid-sentence.

Yes, he _was_ being rather petty. Why do you ask?

Rising up from his position on the ground, Tetsuo activated his Mystic Palm Jutsu and started healing the damage. Well, damage mad it sound more severe than it really was. His only injuries were a collection of scrapes and bruises, mostly from getting tossed onto the ground. Frankly, his clothes were in a worse condition than his body right now.

' _Ah, well. At least I'm getting some practice with my Medical Ninjutsu._ '

The thought fluttered through his mind without a backward glance, his attention too focused on healing himself for the moment. Then, when he thought it over, he froze as a realization hit him. ' _Practice?_ '

That's it!

Surprising Shira as he practically jumped up from the ground, Tetsuo rushed over and grabbed the other boy by the shoulders. "Quick, where do you live?"

Shira blinked at the odd and rather sudden question. "I live in a small tenement. Why?"

"Do you like it there?"

Shira looked at him for a moment, wondering what the point of these questions could be. "Not…..not really, but it's the only place I can afford."

Tetsuo grinned. "Pack up and meet me at the entrance to the village."

And now Shira was looking at him like he'd gone crazy.

oOoOoOoOo Chiyo oOoOoOoOo

It was almost dark now and Chiyo was starting to get a little worried. The brat should've been back by now, or at least at the door. For crying out loud, dinner was almost ready. She made sure he had gotten familiar with the path to and from the shelter in the cliff to the village. Could he have really gotten lost?

Ebizō seemed to notice her unease. "Getting worried, sis?"

Shooting her brother a dark look for a fraction of a second, she tried her best to give a dismissive shrug and put on an air of apathy. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Ebizō gave her a hard look. "Don't try and play dumb with me, sis. I learned a long time ago how to tell what you're thinking, that means I can tell when you're worried about something. It's that boy, isn't it?"

Chiyo just did her best to ignore him. Responding would just encourage him to keep prying about it and it really wasn't something she wanted to talk about.

The unfortunate fact was that he happened to be right. Chiyo didn't want to admit it, but she was starting to wonder if leaving him back in the village had been a good idea. She'd been confident, at the time, that he could get some practice in on his own before coming back. There were quite a few opportunities to train in the village if you had the will to look and the imagination to improvise, two qualities the little brat seemed to have in abundance.

Hearing Ebizō sigh in resignation before he moved on, she went back to preparing the fish. She was making extra tonight, just to make sure the voracious little runt didn't try stealing more from her and her brother's plates. It never ceased to amaze her just how much he could eat.

Just as she was finished and set the food down, she received a notification from the Seal on the wall. It was part of a Sealing network she and Ebizō had implemented a long time ago, essentially an advance warning system for when people approached the entrance to their home.

"'Bout time," she grumbled, heading off to the doors.

Upon reaching the entrance, she was assailed by the sound of loud knocking. A completely unnecessary measure. Anybody who had visited here knew about the Sealing array, and she knew only one person who'd still bother to knock. Or, rather, she knew only one _brat_.

Her fingers were moving even before she reached the wall, the earth beside the massive door shifting and flowing away in a long practiced Jutsu. It was only a moment before she heard footsteps, something slightly off about them.

"Do you know how late you are," Chiyo barked out in irritation. "You're lucky you just got back. It's almost dinner and….and…..who's this?"

The question was directed at Tetsuo, but her face was directed at the boy beside him. Young, around Tetsuo's age, but with a wiry build that came from a combination of exercise and lack of excess food. He was also rather nervous if his attempts to avoid eye contact were any indication.

Then Tetsuo flashed her one of the mischievous looks she'd seen so many times and she was immediately on guard, all of her attention focused on the little trouble maker. He only ever had _that_ smile when he had something _big_ lined up.

"Granny, look. I've got a sparring partner _and_ a guinea pig. Can we keep him? Please?"

If the other boy was unhappy with the choice of words than he sure didn't show it. He seemed more embarrassed about the situation in general, more than anything.

She couldn't hold back her sigh. ' _Good thing I made extra for tonight._ '

oOoOoOoOo

There you have it folks.

First off, Shira isn't an OC. He's a canon character from Naruto Shippuden in a Filler arc. I didn't want to have all the significant characters in this story be OC's and Shira seemed like a pretty cool character to me. His abilities, appearance and personality all made it seem like he'd be a good foil with Tetsuo to form their own little dynamic. And, before anyone asks, no. I'm not pairing them or anything. It's not that I have anything against gay people or people who write or like slash fics, I'm just a straight guy who likes to rite straight relationships because it's easier for me to visualize in my fics. Just thought I should get that outta the way.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this newest chapter for A Scorpion's Successor. Have a nice day.


	4. By Leaps And Bounds And Small Drips

Chapter 4

 **By Leaps And Bounds And Small Drips**

Hello – Text

"Hello" – Talking

' _Hello_ ' – Thinking

 _Hello_ – Emphasis

oOoOoOoOo – Scene Break

xXx – Chapter Start

 **xXx** – Chapter End

'Hello' – Important Title

xXx

oOoOoOoOo Tetsuo oOoOoOoOo

(2 Years Later)

Tetsuo and Shira slowly walked around each other in a rough circle, neither of them quite willing to make the first move. Tetsuo because, even after all their sparring together, Tetsuo was still far ahead of him in practice and conditioning. Shira, because Tetsuo had _finally_ gotten to the point where he could actually put up something of a fight in their Taijutsu spars.

The thing about fights is that they're all games of odds. Worth the risk versus not worth the risk. As it stood, Shira was still good enough to have the advantage in their spars, particularly because _all_ of his training focused on honing his body and Taijutsu instead of having to spread his focus over multiple disciplines. Unfortunately, an advantage could only mean so much when you didn't have a really overwhelming one. As a Ninja, someone in a lifestyle where they put their lives on the line every other day of the week, you could only get so many close calls before your luck finally ran out and you lost the gamble of the odds. A 60-70% chance of victory _sounded_ good right up until you realized there was still up to a 30% chance that you could lose and die. They only sounded like good odds on paper.

They stopped moving and, this time, Tetsuo charged first.

Meeting his sparring partner in a flurry of light jabs to his face, he tried to keep Shira too focused on the upper assault to notice the foot he was preparing to swipe forward to take out his legs.

Unfortunately, Shira had gotten pretty wise to his tricks from all their spars. Pushing out one of his own legs, he stopped Tetsuo's sweeping kick before it could even begin and used its position to pull himself in closer. Their faces so close that their noses could've touched, Shira drew back his head to bring it back in a head-butt and leave Tetsuo stunned.

Falling backward from the impact, the young Puppeteer was still able to grab the front of Shira's shirt and drag him down with him, twisting slightly so they fell side to side instead of the other boy ending up on top.

Landing on the ground with a thud, Tetsuo didn't give Shira any time to regain himself, reaching out both arms to grab and restrain Shira's right. The arm immobilized, he put his legs forward to constrict him and limit his ability to get back up.

Reacting quickly to Tetsuo's plan of attack, Shira twisted his waist to get on his side before Tetsuo's legs could grab him, using his free right hand to bring a swinging punch into his face.

Too bad Tetsuo used his grip on Shira's trapped right arm to bring it up and block the hit, getting Shira to injure himself of Tetsuo's gorgeous face. They might just be sparring and holding back besides, they didn't really want to hurt each other, but Shira's punches hit _hard_. Tetsuo could remember some times when he saw stars after a particularly hard blow connected.

And Shira just felt the full impact of one of his own punches on his own arm. His _dominant_ arm. That was gonna make this harder.

Hearing Shira's grunt of pain and feeling the impact through his hold own hold, he quickly let go of Shira's arm. His backup objective complete, he quickly got up to his feet for a backwards retreat, not letting Shira out of his sight. If it were anyone else, Tetsuo would have kept up the assault while his opponent was still down, but not with Shira. He tried the approach before and the other boy _still_ found some ways to turn the tables on him, he wasn't gonna win by trying to put him down quick.

Shira used the muscles in his back and legs to immediately spring up to his feet and get into a fighting stance, watching Tetsuo like a hawk. It was pretty impressive, really. He could see the _really_ nasty bruise forming up on Shira's arm, he pulled off that upward springing motion despite what was likely a lot of pain.

But looks could be deceiving. Tetsuo felt the force of Shira's punch as he used the other boy's arm as a shield, Shira had brought that punch down _hard_. He was definitely feeling the pain now, that arm would probably be a nonfactor for the rest of the spar. Even if Shira could ignore the pain well enough to use it, there was no way he could fight at his best.

This was the strategy Tetsuo had long since adapted for his spars with Tetsuo, or any opponent that significantly outdid him in Taijutsu. Keep them off balance and take them apart piece by piece until they were down to your own level. It wasn't a perfect fighting strategy, it relied on his ability to improvise and use any tricks he could to keep surprising them and reacting as fast as he could before his opponent could adapt to him. But, at least in a spar like this, it still worked pretty well for him.

That said, I this was all out than Tetsuo had _many_ more tricks he could use. Tricks that were too dangerous for him to really use them on a fiend in something as simple as a spar. He was confident that, if the fight was all out, he could probably win rather handily.

Before they could continue their spar with another exchange of blows, an old male voice barked out, "That's enough!"

Taking a moment to come down from the adrenaline high from the fight, the two boys relaxed their stances and turned to the source of the voice. Ebizō.

Funnily enough, the old man was the one to watch over their Taijutsu spars. It kinda just happened suddenly. One day the two of them were sparring like always when Ebizō happened to be walking by and spotted them. The old man watched for a short while before shaking his head and immediately interjecting. Then he went on a long diatribe about how they were both a long way from being anywhere close to being adequate and insisted that he'd be overseeing their spars and conditioning.

Surprisingly, the usually laid back old man to be an even harsher taskmaster than Chiyo. The younger brother used to be a highly skilled Taijutsu user in his youth and seemed to find it offensive that the youth of today had such shoddy form and poor grasp of the basics. He rather conveniently forgot that neither of them had even entered the Academy to _learn_ the basics.

Not that the two boys were complaining, though. Their skills had rapidly improved since the old man took over. He helped them to correct their forms and basic attacks, how to use the muscles in their legs and backs to put more power into their punches, ho to predict an opponent's moves by seeing the twitches in their muscles and other subtle tells, he was a cranky old _goldmine_ of useful information.

With their spar stopped, Ebizō walked forward and gestured for them to listen. Looks like he had something to say about the fight. Hopefully, it would be something good.

He looked at Tetsuo first. "Tetsuo, that improvising while you were on the ground was a clever move, but you can't rely on tricks like that for the whole fight. You need to learn when gamble like that are worth the risk or not. You can only put your life on the line so many times before someone snaps it up."

He turned to Shira. "Shira, you're attacks are quick and efficient, but they're also predictable. You can't keep fighting with the same pattern to your attacks. Mix it up a little, don't make your moves so predictable. Predictability means death against an opponent experienced enough to use it against you."

They both nodded at the explanations, making sure to keep the information in mind later. It would take more sparring with it in mind before it really sank in, but the old man knew what he was talking about.

His point made, Ebizō took in a deep breath and shot them both a ghost of a smile. "In any case, good work. Both of you. You've improved a great deal since these spars began and I look forward to seeing you improve even more. Keep up your training and I'm sure that, in a few years, you could very well be Chūnin level at age 12. No small accomplishment, I assure you."

As he turned around and left the training area of the compound in the cliff, Tetsuo drew closer to Shira as his hands started glowing a familiar light. Shira shot him a wry smile as he extended his arm in a long practiced motion with an equally long rehearsed message. Heal me up.

Putting his glowing hands to the still growing bruise of Shira's right arm, he actually felt a little guilty when he found out the extent of the damage. Shira threw that punch harder that Tetsuo had thought, enough to cause not just some heavy bruising but also cause some fractures in the bone.

Then he remembered the punch would've landed on his _face_ if he hadn't blocked it with said arm. Screw that! His gorgeous face was another asset in his arsenal, not a damned punching bag. If Shira had to break his arm instead, as far as Tetsuo was concerned it was a price worth paying.

Diagnosing the damages, the young Puppeteer started healing and the effect was immediate. The nasty bruise seemed to fade away and all but disappear the moment Tetsuo started healing it, leaving healthy skin without any sign of damage in the first place. The bone fractures healed just as quickly, leaving Shira's arm as good as new.

Shira stared at the process of several seconds with a look of practiced neutrality, probably doing his best not to stare. Pulling his arm back to give it an experimental twist and a quick jab, he seemed to find no problems with it at all. "You're Medical Skills he really improved, huh?"

Tetsuo didn't bother holding back his grin. "They have, haven't they? The patch-up's after all these spars has really done a lot to give me more practice. Plus the volunteering at the hospital in the village."

Really, after he got a lot of the basic bookwork done, his skills started improving by leaps and bounds as he was allowed to start experimenting and practicing.

His Sealing Skills had greatly improved from before, he could now analyze the formulas behind basic seals with a glance and reverse engineer them. He even gotten skilled enough to make high quality storage Seals and explosive Seals to make Paper Bombs. He could now devise and analyze simple poisons and concoct antidotes. His Chakra control had improve _dramatically_ , especially since Chiyo taught him the water-walking exercise and gave him more Chakra control exercises to do while he was on the water.

Information gathering was a little difficult to test, given how weird some of the tests really were. Some of them were the easiest thing Chiyo had even given him, but other were so frustrating that they made him grit his teeth. It was worse because some of the tests didn't really make any sense on the surface and he had to fill in most of the blanks himself. Maybe that was the point?

His thoughts were interrupted as Shira made another observation. "And, of course, there's also your Ninjutsu."

Tetsuo's grin flickered slightly. It's not that his progress was _bad_ , but it was kind of slow. It's not that his Chakra Element was _bad_ , but it was a little difficult to practice with and gauge his progress with it.

He still remembered the day he found out what his Chakra Element was. When Chiyo brought him out to the desert to find out and, preferably, get in some training for it.

oOoOoOoOo

(2 Months Ago)

It was yet _another_ hot day under the harsh sun in the desert of the Land of Wind. He had some trouble believing anyone could possibly _choose_ to live out here. Seriously, he knew the people here had some things about their homeland they were proud of, but pride could only do so much and helping you actually _survive_ wasn't one of them.

Anyway, Tetsuo was a little surprised when Chiyo told him they'd be going out to the desert today. He pretty much did his training indoors, so what would she be teaching him out here? What would make it necessary?

Well, no point in putting the answer off. "So, Granny, what did you bring me out here for?"

"Simple, dear brat," she easily countered with a smile. "Today, we'll be getting started on your Ninjutsu training."

He stood still in the ensuing silence. Did he hear that right? Because it sounded like she just said something awesome. Was she really gonna be teaching him Ninjutsu? That was so…..hold on a minute.

He peered up at her suspiciously. "You never said anything about teaching me Ninjutsu before. Not even when you told me _exactly_ what kind of training I'd be getting to become a Puppeteer. What changed?"

She rolled her eyes at his obvious suspicion. "Don't worry, this isn't some kind of prank. The reason I never mentioned it at the start was because Ninjutsu isn't really an integral part of a Puppeteers style of fighting, it just doesn't match up well with their skill set." She raised a hand to forestall his interruption. "On the other hand," she slowly stressed, "given how much your Chakra control and reserves have grown, it would be a mistake to ignore a potential resource. Ninjutsu might not really be the deciding factor in a fight between Shinobi, but it's _still_ a potent one. Don't doubt that. Besides, learning your Chakra Element and practicing with it would be a good way of enhancing your Chakra control and the size of your arsenal at the same time. Two birds with one stone."

She stopped to take a breath after her explanation before she continued. "On the other hand, you're right about Ninjutsu not being a part of the training I originally planned. It would also mean more training in general, so I'll be leaving the option up to you. Continue training as you are now, or put a little more on your plate? Your choice."

His choice? Did she even need to ask him that? He figured the answer was pretty obvious.

"Are you really asking me that?" he asked, staring up in incredulity. "No way am I saying no. It's not like I really have anything else to do with my free time besides train, anyway."

The look on Chiyo's face was one of expectation and approval. "Good choice."

Reaching into her pocket she pulled out….a piece of paper? What did paper have to do with Ninjutsu?

She held it out and indicated for him to take it. "This is called Chakra Paper. It's used to determine the person's Chakra Element. Channel your Chakra into the paper and we'll see what it is."

He snapped the paper out of her hand fast as a blink. Channeling Chakra through his body and into the piece of paper, he was a little anxious to find out what it was. Wind? Fire? Oooh, maybe it was Lightning! That'd be _so_ fricking cool.

As he felt his Chakra flow into the paper, he felt for any oddities or indications that something was gonna happen. He thought it would slash apart or burst into flames or something.

Instead, it just got damp and seemed to get slightly heavier as it drooped in his hands. Looking up at Chiyo in slight surprise, he saw a look of curiosity on her face as she looked at the paper. Was something wrong?

Well, no point in being silent. "What just happened?"

His question seemed to shake Chiyo out of her stupor, causing her to look at him with a look of growing interest. "Well, brat, it seems your Chakra Element is Water." She looked back down at the paper. "It's really not what I would have expected."

"Is Water a bad Element," he asked, more than a little worried that he lost the draw. Fortunately, Chiyo shook her head in the negative to dismiss his worries.

"It's not bad, no. It's just a little…unusual, is all. People generally have an Element that corresponds to the Elemental Nation they're born in. People of the Land of Fire are born with Fire, people born in the Land of Lightning are born with Lightning and so on. It's not exactly a strict thing, but it's enough for moments like these to stand out a little." She looked up at him. "It might be difficult to train you with it, though."

His right brow rose in question. "What? Why? All I'll have to do…..is…" he didn't even finish the sentence as it dawned on him, his face developing into a grimace. "Oh, crap."

Chiyo nodded gravely. "Exactly. How can you really learn Water Style Ninjutsu in a desert, like this?"

Not easily. Not easily at all. Dammit.

oOoOoOoOo

(Present Day)

They weren't able to get any Ninjutsu training in, there wasn't enough water around to even try it. If it was pretty much _any_ other element, they could've stayed out to train him with some very basic Ninjutsu that matched his Element, but that just wasn't an option.

If he wanted to seriously start training his abilities for Ninjutsu, especially Water Style Ninjutsu, he'd need to actually _buy_ the water to practice with, and water was _not_ cheap in the Land of Wind. Chiyo had some pretty good money, but not enough for that kind of spending.

He was allowed to use the small pond in the main area to practice but it was still slow going. There just wasn't enough water around for him to really start training with it on a significant scale. He'd asked Chiyo about the possibility of training a different Element, but she quickly shot him down. Until he gained a good degree of skill at manipulating his natural Element, there was a good risk that the other Jutsu might explode in his face.

Still, just because he couldn't train on a large scale didn't mean he'd made no progress.

Raising up a hand, he summoned up the first Jutsu he'd ever learned. The Chakra Threads.

This time, though, they came with a twist.

Combining his Element with the Chakra Threads, the long and thin Chakra constructs suddenly seemed to shimmer and become slightly more solid as they absorbed the moisture from the air around them, gradually engorging themselves from the moisture until they were less like threads and more like thin tendrils.

"Want a drink?" he offered to Shira, rather enjoying the impressed look on his friend's face as he absently nodded.

Bunching the moisture endowed Chakra Thread together into a ball, he made the water coalesce and form into a pair of smaller spheres, holding one up to his mouth as he held the other out to Tetsuo.

Tetsuo's ability for Ninjutsu hadn't really improved, but he'd still been taught various Chakra control exercises anyway, one result being that he could now walk on water without any real trouble. The water-walking exercise worked by channeling Chakra to the feet and being able to constantly adjust the flow so it stayed solid enough for a person to stand on it, and Shira had gotten the hang of it pretty quickly. Compared to that, holding a ball of water was easy for him.

Taking it in his hands, Shira put his lips to the top of the ball of water and took a sip.

Tetsuo flashed a grin again. "Cool trick, right? It took me some tries to get it right, but it looks like I pulled it off."

Shira nodded. "I'm surprised you can do this at all, considering the lack of water to practice with."

Before Tetsuo could continue the conversation, he heard a sudden call of "Brat!" behind him, getting his attention. Turning around, he saw Chiyo walking towards him with a smile. An oddly pleased one.

"Pack your bags, brat. I'm taking you out on a mission."

 **xXx**

Surprised I got another chapter out so soon? What can I say, reviews help me get the juices in my head pumping and my fingers typing.

Anyway, if anyone is a little disappointed that we haven't gotten out of the training arc yet, believe me when I say we're almost there. The reason I wanted there to be a tears long training period is because I didn't want Tetsuo to have the cheap and instantaneous kind of growth in abilities we've seen so many times in canon. It's not just unrealistic, it's practically a plot device. By the time the canon series starts, I want Tetsuo to be a powerful Shinobi in his own right. I'm gonna have him capable of going toe to toe with the heavy hitters of the series, and I want to show he worked for it, bled for it and came up with his own tricks for it.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Feel free to review and I hope you have a nice day.


	5. First Blood

Chapter 5

 **First Blood**

Hello – Text

"Hello" – Talking

' _Hello_ ' – Thinking

 _Hello_ – Emphasis

oOoOoOoOo – Scene Break

xXx – Chapter Start

 **xXx** – Chapter End

'Hello' – Important Title

xXx

oOoOoOoOo Tetsuo oOoOoOoOo

In all honesty, Tetsuo had been expecting more when Chiyo had walked up and said she was bringing him on a mission with her. Tetsuo was pretty sure the old lady just straight up didn't do missions at _all_ anymore, she spent almost all of her time teaching and training him. The same thing went for Ebizō, though he generally seemed less active as a rule. So, for Chiyo to unexpectedly walk right up and say she suddenly got a mission, he thought it was gonna be something _big_. He knew she was good, still leagues ahead of himself, so a Shinobi with her skills wouldn't take a mission that wasn't up to her standards.

Needless to say, he ended up being wrong. Apparently, just because someone possesses greater rank or skills than the mission necessarily needs doesn't keep them from being sent out on them. Chiyo dropped that bomb on his head the moment she told him about this little outing. Chiyo was easily Jōnin level in abilities, but this mission was C-Rank at best. More fit for a Chūnin or a stronger Genin than anyone with her abilities.

But it didn't take him long to realize this mission wasn't really meant for _her_. It was a test of some kind for _him_. A way to get him out in the field and see how good he could really do outside of a safe environment. That's why she went into the village to take it, a way to see how well he could apply what she'd been able to teach him.

It was also a way to get him out in a place with more water and start practicing Ninjutsu. Which was why she took a mission that specifically led them into the Land of Rivers.

Apparently. A village along their shared border was under constant assault by bandits, their roads no longer safe as trade routes for merchants and travelers to go through. It was also steadily getting worse, the bandits growing bolder with every attack as they moved closer to the town. There had already been quite a few injuries among whoever had scrounged up the guts to go a significant distance away, and it was currently to the point of the village leader worrying they would be attacked directly.

So he sent out the fastest runner to bring the request for aid to the Hidden Sand Village, the closest one available, requesting for help to stop them before the situation could meet its worst point. He'd also asked for a Medical Ninja that was capable of healing the wounds of the people that were attacked, though that seemed to have been a secondary concern.

Either way, he and Chiyo were well on their way to the village in question, running fast as the wind in a straight line towards their destination. It was kinda neat, watching the scenery slowly change until the terrain changed from harsh desert to lush forest. There would _definitely_ be enough water here to start practicing his Ninjutsu.

He was wondering about how long they could afford to stay when Chiyo interrupted his musings. "We're here."

Coming to her side and slowing down in turn, he spied the place they had arrived to support. He couldn't see too much of it from his position, given that it had a rather high barricade wall of wood. Not planks, more like the tall trunks of actual trees. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. _These_ guys were having trouble with bandits? Something was going on here.

Looking to Chiyo on his side, he recognized a similar expression on her own face, apparently thinking along the same lines. She thought it smelled fishy, too.

Regardless, they still came here for a mission and they couldn't back out now. They'd just have to deal with it.

They were spotted by a sentry before they reached the gate and heard some kind of commotion behind the wall. Sounded like they were getting ready for something. But what?

Their answer came as a shout from a man behind the gate. "Are you the Ninja from the Hidden Sand?"

Suspicion still in her eyes, Chiyo gave her response to the man with a shout of her own. "We are. Open up."

After more movement behind the gate, the large wooden construct began to move and grant them a way in. Entering the village, Tetsuo looked around and his suspicions only grew. The place was well maintained, with everyone in sight being a full grown or nearly full grown man, holding a weapon of some kind. Judging from their grips, they also happened to have some experience with them. There was also quite a few archers on the walkway of the wall. No way these guys would have trouble with bandits, what was this really about?

He stopped alongside Chiyo as they stood in front of somebody. The leader of the village, if Tetsuo was right. He was an older guy, younger than Chiyo but not by much, and surprisingly fit for his age. Wiry and still standing straight with only the beginnings of white in his hair. What got his attention, though, was the look in his eye. Most people started to mentally slow down after a certain age, but this guy still had a glint in his expression as he looked at him and Chiyo. Measuring, sharp.

He was also pretty disappointed, if the falling of his face is any indication. "Hello, my name's Kazuya. You're the Shinobi that were sent?"

Chiyo's reaction was instant. Summoning up Chakra Threads in one of her hands, she wrapped them around the legs of everyone surrounding them and forcing them to trip, barely avoiding falling on their weapons. As she did so, she pulled out a kunai from the inside of her robes and appeared right In front of the man, holding it _dangerously_ close to his jugular. The poor old guy was so stunned he couldn't even step back, standing still lest Chiyo decide to get creative with the weapon held against the side of his neck. The borderline senile smile on her face was probably the most terrifying look he'd ever seen in his long life.

1 second. It took her 1 fucking _second_ to do it all.

Chiyo's smile didn't even shift. "Yes, that would be us. Impressed?"

' _Note to self. Careful with the jokes from now on._ '

Kazuya seemed to get the message, almost trying to nod before he remembered the kunai to his throat. Swallowing his nervousness, he answered, "Yes. I'd Say I'm impressed. Um…." He gestured to the kunai. "Could you take this off my neck?"

Chiyo briefly looked at the weapon in mock confusion, as if she forgot it was even out. Tetsuo wasn't fooled by the look for a moment. "Oh!" she exclaimed, pulling the edged weapon back. "So sorry, it's a reflex by now. I do it whenever I get suspicious." Her eyes narrowed at him, all friendliness gone. "So what's really going on here?"

He flinched back slightly, eying as the others got back up from the ground and motioned for the archers to hold their fire. He was probably checking to see if they were injured by the fall while holding their weapons. Seeing none of them were hurt, he turned back to Chiyo, clearing his throat. "Was it really that obvious?"

Tetsuo raised an eyebrow. "You're really asking that? If _I_ can see it, _she_ can definitely see it."

Kazuya turned to him, looking at Tetsuo as if he didn't even notice him before. Tetsuo's expression must've shown how annoyed he was at that, because the man's face almost immediately paled. He was probably worried what Tetsuo might pull over the implied insult.

The tension seemed to disappear as Chiyo put a hand on his head and pet him like a dog. "Now, now. Down, Tetsuo. We can' have you smacking our client around." Her words were followed by brief silence as her attention shifted back to the village leader. "Why don't we take this somewhere more private?"

The older man seemed to hesitate for a moment, probably worried something would happen if we went somewhere nobody could see, but he nodded and led them to one of the homes. The one in the center of the village itself, apparently his own home.

Entering the building, Tetsuo noticed that it was well maintained and slightly more furnished than he'd expected. The furniture was a little Spartan, but made of good quality wood and had some slight decorative touches. It was kinda nice.

Kazuya seated himself at the table, gesturing for them to take seats of their own, and put his head between his hands as he let out a deep sigh. "What was your first clue?"

Tetsuo decided to answer first. "Besides the fact that this place is surrounded by a wall too big for bandits to just jump over? Your guys also know how to use their weapons, I can tell, so they've either had training or fought other bandits off before. You've even got archers on the walls, and I'll bet there's still more people in the other houses, so you've got even more people ready to fight. Bandits go after _easy_ targets, not places like this."

Out of the corner of his vision, Tetsuo swore he saw a look of approval on Chiyo's face. It vanished pretty quickly, though, so he couldn't really be sure.

Kazuya actually seemed a little upset that his ruse had been seen through so easily. Looked like he'd been hoping to keep them strung along for just a little longer. "I'm sorry," he said. Sounded like he meant it, too. "We're desperate and there didn't seem to be any other way. We had enough money to afford a C-Rank mission, a bandit defense request, but not enough to get something higher. We had to….well, to put it simply, we had to lie. It's not bandits we're dealing with."

Chiyo nodded. "Ninja, then. How many are there and how advanced are they?"

The older man visibly pondered over the question. It looked like he didn't _want_ to lie, but also didn't want to scare them off by telling them the full truth. "There's four of them," he answered. "I can't really say how strong they are, I'm not exactly an expert, but they haven't outright destroyed the town yet. It's like they're testing us, or something. Feeling us out."

Chiyo nodded. "I thought as much. Rogue Ninja are a very different animal from bandits." Her face gained a thoughtful expression, thinking over their opposition. "A Jōnin could have depopulated this town from the start. A Chūnin, maybe. From the looks of it, we must be dealing with people at Genin level. Experienced and smart Genin, maybe on the level of weaker Chūnin, but no higher. They won't be a problem." She spared a glance at Tetsuo before looking back at the man. "You also asked for a Medical Ninja, right? This boy is Tetsuo, my apprentice. He'll get everyone back up on their feet."

Kazuya looked over at him with a look of surprise. Apparently, he hadn't expected much of the boy who'd followed Chiyo along and was starting to second guess himself. "You're a medic?"

The old man flinched back slightly as Chiyo pulled out a kunai, followed by a slight yelp as she slashed the edge along the palm of her hand. Holding the bleeding appendage towards her apprentice, she simply said, "Tetsuo."

She didn't even need to explain.

Summoning up his Chakra and converting into to Medical Chakra for his Mystic Palm Jutsu, he immediately put it to Chiyo's bleeding hand. It wasn't a very deep cut, just enough to draw out blood and _look_ serious, but it healed up in barely a few seconds under the light of the glow of his Medical Chakra.

In barely the time it took for a quick breath, her hand was healed up as good as new, fully functional. Not even a mark to show for it. It was times like these where Tetsuo really appreciated all the training and practice, seeing all the progress he'd gained from constantly perfecting his skills.

It also sent a message to Kazuya as the man stared in amazement at Chiyo's fully healed hand. The message being that; Yes, Tetsuo could heal them all just fine.

Kazuya looked kinda funny as it sank in, his mouth opening and closing like he was some kinda fish before he regained himself. "Um, I see. Alright then, you'll find all the injured in the home directly to the left of mine. Left while going out with a red cross engraved over the entrance, you can't miss it."

Nodding, Tetsuo left his chair and headed out the door and headed to the entrance. Looking to the left, he decided Kazuya was right. You really couldn't miss the building or the emblem above the door.

Walking over and entering the building in question, he immediately took stock of the people and injuries within. Ten people, all of them heavily bandaged and some of them releasing soft groans of pain. Some of them had mild burns that indicated proximity to close heat, probably Fire Style Ninjutsu. There were also maybe five visitors.

Heading over to the nearest bed, be briefly registered it was occupied by a child slightly older than himself, he summoned up some Medical Chakra and got to work.

Starting with a quick diagnostic, he noted some minor bone fractures in addition to several moderately deep gashes that cut into the patient's right leg. There was also minor damage to the ankle and kneecap, probably from a fall brought about by a twisted ankle from a panicked retreat.

It didn't even take him two minutes to heal it all and move on to the next patient, ignoring the looks of awe he was getting.

…..Well, maybe not _entirely_ ignoring them. After all, he had an ego to feed.

oOoOoOoOo Chiyo oOoOoOoOo

Chiyo looked down in distaste at the Rogue Ninja on the ground below her. She was currently perched in a tree, kept unseen by using her Chameleon Jutsu. It was a very basic technique, but there was a reason the basics survived long use throughout the ages. Because they worked, and Chiyo was quite skilled with it regardless.

It seemed she was right about the skill levels of the Ninja in question. They only seemed to be in their mid-teens, eighteen at the most. And with that young age came the rebellious tendencies and arrogance she had often associated with those lacking experience. In this case, she wondered if these fools even had common sense at _all_. They hadn't put up any defensive perimeter, didn't have any kind of lookout and were making a damned racket because of some alcohol they'd stolen. They didn't even have the sensibility to keep one of their number sober to make sure things didn't get out of hand. They seemed to be unknowingly offending every professional sensibility she'd developed over her long career.

' _Well, no need to stretch this out._ '

Dismissing her Chameleon Jutsu, Chiyo blazed through a series of hand-signs before calling out her Jutsu. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

Expelling the massive gale from her open mouth, Chiyo briefly though if she went overboard with such a destructive Jutsu as it completely destroyed the region in front of her. The Great Breakthrough was meant to be used against larger and more dangerous groups than this, she probably should've used something smaller.

Then she remembered all the trouble these little punks had been causing and the flicker of remorse immediately died.

Seeing the devastation that resulted from her attack, Chiyo couldn't help the slight grin on her face. It had been a _long_ time since she let herself show off a little, and putting these fools I their place was as good an opportunity as any. No point in feeling any regret, not now.

But despite her split attention, she still had the awareness to tip her head to the side as a shuriken whirred through the air. Passing through the area where her head used to be.

She then immediately dropped from her perch on the tree to land on the ground as a barrage of kunai followed the shuriken. Looking in the direction the shuriken had been thrown from, she'd already blazed through another set of hand seals before she even landed.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets!"

In contrast to the great and massive gale she'd blown out before, this Jutsu released a number of small bullets of slicing wind, empowered to the point that they easily pierced through the trees like tissue paper.

A scream of pain told her that at least one bullet had met its mark, causing her to throw out a small handful of shuriken with attached Paper Bombs.

Hearing the explosions destroy whoever must've been left alive, Chiyo turned around to head back to the village. Seems she was concerned for nothing, these small fries weren't even enough for her to get out of breath. Barely worth coming out for.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a kunai shooting out of the bushes by her side, impaling through the side of her neck before she fell over.

There was a rustle in the bushes as someone stepped out. One of the Rogue Ninja that had been around the campfire along with the rest, laughing and drinking. Seems he had a better tolerance, not to mention better reflexes, given that he was still alive.

Moving forward, he stared down at the soon to be corpse with an incredulous sneer. "An old hag? Some wrinkly old _bitch_ did all this?"

One could imagine his surprise when the _corpse_ suddenly turned to earth and crumbled into the ground. One could also imagine his surprise when a hand reached up from the ground to grab his ankle and drag him down into the ground up to his neck. The look on his face as Chiyo, completely unharmed, rose up from beneath the ground, was, in her humble opinion, a thing of beauty.

"Now now now, young man," she chided with a mocking smile. "Never underestimate your elders. They just might kill you for it. Hahahahahahahaha!"

The young Rogue Ninja was obviously frustrated at having been so easily bested. Who wouldn't be at his age? He was still young enough that he thought he could take on the whole world and he just got his butt kick by somebody's granny. Unwilling to let himself die buried up to his neck, he struggled and wriggled and tried to dig his way out, all to no avail. Chiyo couldn't help but laugh harder.

Snapping his expression up to glare at her, the young man was furious. For a moment it looked like he was going to start thrashing around in the ground again, but he stayed still. Then, ever so slowly, he calmed himself down and the look on his face began to change. It shifted from a look of rage into an expression of smugness. The face of someone who believed they'd already won. It wasn't a pretty look.

"You really think you've won?" he asked, getting Chiyo's attention. "Huh, ya old bag? Let me ask you something, how many of us did those people tell you about?"

Uh oh, that didn't sound good. The prick must've somehow been able to read her thoughts, because the smug look grew even worse. "That's right. All the guys around the campfire? There's still one more you missed. And he already heading to-" _SHKRNK!_

That was the sound of Chiyo's kunai lodging itself into his skull as she turned around and started running back to the village.

oOoOoOoOo Tetsuo oOoOoOoOo

It happened quickly. Quicker than he expected, really.

Right after he'd finished with treating the last patient and leaving the building, he saw one of the sentries on the wall go down while clutching his chest. As the man fell down from the wall with a strangled gasp, Tetsuo spotted the several shuriken that jutted from his front.

He also saw someone else, one of the Ninja he'd surmised, leap up and over the wall at the section where the man had fallen off and finish him with a kunai stabbing down into his throat.

Tetsuo didn't even hesitate to throw out some kunai of his own at the attacker, ignoring the screams of panic as people started to notice what was happening.

The attacking Shinobi reacted instantly, deflecting the incoming projectiles as he threw out more kunai and shuriken at the other archers on the wall. Smart move, given that he couldn't let them take potshots at him in a fight. Wasn't gonna save him though.

As soon as the kunai left Tetsuo's hand, he rushed straight forward, hiding a hand behind his back while throwing some shuriken. He couldn't let this guy start moving, he needed to keep him pinned down.

Once he finally reached him, though, one thing became very clear. One very _unfortunate_ thing. Put simply, the dude was bigger than him. Almost twice his size, and now they were up close.

Thrusting out a kunai in his hand at the guy's chest, Tetsuo tried to keep him from getting on the offensive. If he let him get on the attack, Tetsuo could get overwhelmed and end up dead. Unfortunately, he didn't have many ways of directly taking the offensive, all the skills Chiyo had taught him weren't exactly suitable for direct combat. He was confident enough in his Taijutsu, but this guy not only had years more practice on him but much more body mass. Fighting him in hand to hand would be next to suicide.

And he knew it too, because the other Shinobi batted his thrusted kunai aside and started attacking him. Tetsuo wouldn't last long if the offense stayed out of his hands and they both knew it. He had to find a way out of this.

Fortunately, he already had an idea.

Suddenly retreating from the melee, Tetsuo pulled back to throw more kunai and shuriken at the older teen, trying to clip him with projectiles. Not letting up, he kept throwing more and more until his small arsenal of projectiles ran dry and he looked all but helpless.

The Rogue Shinobi grinned down at him with a mocking smirk. "That all ya got, brat?"

Tetsuo smiled sweetly. "Of course not." Then he brought out the hand that he'd been holding behind his back the whole time, showed it to the enemy in front of him, and _pulled_.

Faster that the enemy could even react, faster than he could realize what was going on, all of the projectiles, the kunai and shuriken, suddenly shot up off the ground and pierced right into him from the back and sides.

As he lay dying from the injuries, hitting the ground and feeling his blood flowing out from the many internal and external injuries, his last sight was of the Chakra Threads in Tetsuo's fingers traveling out to everything he'd thrown at him.

Who knew Chakra Threads could be so useful?

oOoOoOoOo Chiyo oOoOoOoOo

When Chiyo came rushing back to the village, she was expecting worse. _Much_ worse, in fact, than what she saw. She expected to see and hear people dying as the last member of the group of Rogue Ninja arrived to launch a one man assault. Caught by surprise as they were, the bastard could have committed significant damage before she'd arrived.

She very much _didn't_ expect to see the last of the band lying dead on the ground, his back and sides covered in stab and puncture wounds. She also didn't expect to see Tetsuo calmly wiping the weapons of blood before he went on to heal everybody who had been injured by this most recent attack.

And she _especially_ didn't expect to see Tetsuo, a mere boy of 9 years old, kill someone with such a cold-blooded ease and ruthlessness. Murder wasn't a small thing, it was bloody and brutal and often traumatizing, especially to the young. That was why there was always a number of therapists available for use to Shinobi that just came back from particularly intense missions. Why they had the students of the Academy go to special classes to help them be psychologically prepared for the act of taking a life, especially for the first time.

Tetsuo, to her knowledge, had never even started on any of that, and still killed a man with the same casual air as if he was simply brushing his teeth.

Many years ago she would've considered it a blessing. Many years ago she would've boasted about her apprentice having such an efficiency towards murder. Many years ago she would've even _encouraged_ it.

Many years ago had been before she taught Sasori. Before she saw _exactly_ what such an attitude could result in if not treated carefully.

She had already lost her first apprentice, her _grandson_ , to such a thing. She wasn't about to lose Tetsuo to it also.

oOoOoOoOo Tetsuo oOoOoOoOo

Tetsuo sighed. "Okay, granny, what's going on here? You've been stepping on eggshells around me since we left the village, so what's going on?"

Seriously, ever since they'd left she seemed to be handling him like a fragile twig. Something that would snap and break at the slightest change in stress or pressure. Like he was some kinda little glass statuette. It was driving him nuts!

Now, when they were finally back safe and sound in the Hidden Sand Village, he thought she'd lighten up a little and stop treating him like a bomb waiting to go off. But he was wrong, completely wrong, because she just seemed to get even more cautious as she spoke with him.

The old lady didn't answer him for a moment, choosing instead to just keep walking through the village streets to the Mission Registration Office and inform them of the successful mission. Then, right before he could speak again, Chiyo responded.

"Tetsuo," she began, doing her best to keep her voice level. "Back in the village, you made your first kill, didn't you?"

He blinked. That's what this was about? Why she was acting so quiet and nervous around him? Yeah, he killed that guy, what of it? It was do or die and he chose to do. Kill or be killed wasn't necessarily a Shinobi exclusive mindset. "Yeah, I did. What does it matter?"

"Did you feel anything?" she asked. "Anything at all? Even a brief hint of remorse or shock at what you did?"

His eyes narrowed in confusion at the question. Why was she making a big deal out of this? So he didn't break down crying or something about killing somebody, wasn't that normal when the other guy was busy trying to kill you? If Tetsuo hadn't killed him then _he'd_ be dead instead. Wasn't it natural to choose yourself over the guy trying to kill you?

"No," he slowly answered. "Not really. I mean, the guy was trying to kill me. Why should I feel bad about it?"

Chiyo was about to answer him when they were interrupted by the sound of frightened screams from a few yards away. Curios if they needed a medic, Tetsuo immediately rushed towards the source of the screaming and stopped in his tracks at the sight.

The source of the screams was some kid that was caught up in the middle of what looked like a small sandstorm frozen in the air. He was caught in the edge of it and was currently lying on his ass in fright. Tetsuo thought he could also see someone else in the weird sandstorm, right in the center.

As the kid got up and ran away, he heard whimpering from the younger one in the center. It was a boy, red haired.

' _Wait a sec. Red hair? Sand?_ '

Moving slightly closer for a better look, he concluded that it was really the village Jinchūriki. Gaara, son of the Kazekage. Just 3 years old, verging on 4.

' _This kid is supposed to be Hidden Sand's secret weapon?_ '

It was kinda depressing, really. The poor kid might be a Jinchūriki, but he just looked so lost and vulnerable right now. He'd read up on him for some of the info gathering missions Chiyo had given him. More or less dropped off onto his uncle by his own father, the poor kid was ostracized by pretty much everyone. He'd heard about the times Gaara had tried to reach out, but those moments never ended well.

Seeing that nobody was hurt Tetsuo turned around and was about to head on his own way.

"…Help me…"

He stopped. The voice just sounded so….small. So weak and fragile. Turning around, he enhanced his eyes with his Chakra to get a better look at the little boy and almost cringed. Dammit, he was practically bawling his eyes out. That just wasn't fair.

He'd had a long day and he just wanted to get back home and get some rest. Was that really so much to ask for? Why did he have to deal with this?

But in spite of how much he just wanted to go home, he couldn't quite bring himself to walk away and leave the little kid alone. It wasn't that the kid reminded him of himself in any way, he'd never been so isolated. It wasn't that he really felt so much sympathy either, it was a simple fact that there as _always_ someone who got dealt a crappier hand.

So why couldn't he just go? Why couldn't he just walk away? Looking through his mind for an answer, Tetsuo almost drew up a blank until he reached the end of his mental rope and realized it. It wasn't some overriding sense of sympathy, not some overwhelming empathy for his situation.

It was disgust. Disgust at just how fucking _stupid_ this all was. How everyone in the village was acting like a bunch of idiots and this kid was being hurt as a result. They didn't pay attention to what they were doing, didn't bother looking at the ramifications. These idiots didn't screw the pooch, they took a foot long iron dildo and rammed it up its ass without any lube.

And this poor kid was suffering because of their idiocy. Caught in the crossfire of it all.

…' _Ah well, might as well do a good deed for the day._ '

Turning around and putting on his best attempt at a smile, Tetsuo waved at the little kid and walked up to him. "Yo. Gaara, right, you okay?"

The little boy flinched back in surprise, looking up at him in shock. Doing his best to ignore the barely noticeable motions of the floating sand, Tetsuo kept walking forward through the sand and right in front of a wide eyed Gaara.

The little boy was so stunned that he didn't even answer for a while, just staring at him before he regained his wits. "U-uh…yes, that's…me?" Wow, he was so shocked that his answer came out as a question. "Who're you?"

Keeping his smile on, Tetsuo gave a dramatic bow and introduced himself with all the confidence he could muster. "The name's Tetsuo. Nice to meet ya. Wanna go for a quick walk for a bit?"

Gaara just blinked at him, probably wondering if this was all real or some elaborate Genjutsu. It was a little sad when Tetsuo realized he couldn't blame him. "Uh….sure."

Tetsuo's smile got a little wider at that, holding out a hand. "Great! Come on, I know a place we can get something to eat."

Staring at the hand as if it would disappear right in front of him, Gaara reached out and carefully took it with his own as the sand started to recede. His smaller hand was barely bigger than Tetsuo's own palm.

Lightly pulling him up, Tetsuo led him along a path he'd traveled in the village and ignored all the incredulous stares in his direction. If these idiots were stupid enough to let some little kid become a disaster waiting to happen, than they just weren't worth his attention.

As Gaara's little hand started to shake in his own, as if afraid that this was all a dream, his grip tightened just a little. To remind him that this was real. That there was really someone here.

Oddly enough, he thought he could probably get used to this.

oOoOoOoOo Chiyo oOoOoOoOo

Chiyo could only stare in shock at what she saw before her. Tetsuo, he apprentice, had just walked up to the young Jinchūriki and actually offered to walk him around town.

Looking down on him from her perch atop a building, her heart almost skipped a beat when she saw him start walking _closer_ to the little redhead right through the waiting sand. She thought he was about to get crushed to death!

But that didn't happen. Instead, she saw the sands recede and fade as he took Gaara by the hand and took him for a walk. Saw his grip tighten slightly around the little boy's shaking hand. Saw him give the little boy a moment of attention and care that even Gaara's own father likely hadn't shown him.

And she thought this boy would be another Sasori? Looking down now, she couldn't see anything about Tetsuo that was so similar to her former pupil. Not if he could still bring himself to give his hand out like that to a scared little child.

' _No,_ ' she thought. ' _Not Sasori._ '

Her mind cleared of those worries for today, she headed over to the Mission Registration Office on her own. No point in interrupting them. Tetsuo knew the way back home.

And maybe, just maybe, he could somehow fix one of the biggest mistakes she'd made in decades.

 **xXx**

And here's the new chapter, folks. Hope you enjoyed it.

Anyway, one of the things I wanted to make clear in this chapter is Tetsuo's mentality. Yeah, he's been through a lot, he's lost a lot, but hasn't anyone found it unusual just how mature he is for his age? How smart and driven he is? I know Naruto is an anime and exempt from quite a few psychological rules, but I wanted to make it clear that Tetsuo isn't exactly normal. He has not trouble at all with killing people, and while it may be a boon it's also a bit of a curse. The reason people avoid killing in general is because it can be very traumatic and damaging, that's one of the reasons war is considered a last resort. But if you take away all the traumatic effects on the psyche, you can have a _very_ scary individual. I wanted to make Tetsuo an example of such a character who's still the protagonist and a good guy. Make no mistake, his lack of reaction to killing can make someone an effective and ruthless killer, but it also has the potential to make them a double edged sword. A lack of aversion to killing may result in someone considering it the only necessary option, causing them to become blind to other, more effective options. That kind of mentality and its consequences is something I want to explore in this fic.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Review and have a nice day!


	6. Did He Just Give Me An Order?

Chapter 6

 **Did He Just Give Me An Order?**

Hello – Text

"Hello" – Talking

' _Hello_ ' – Thinking

 _Hello_ – Emphasis

oOoOoOoOo – Scene Break

xXx – Chapter Start

 **xXx** – Chapter End

'Hello' – Important Title

xXx

oOoOoOoOo Tetsuo oOoOoOoOo

It had been a few weeks since he'd met Gaara, a little over three years since he started his apprenticeship with Chiyo. Every once in a while, they'd meet up at the entrance to the Village and head around town for a while. Sometimes they'd get something to eat, other times they'd just have a seat somewhere and talk for a little while. Shira had even come along a few times to hang out, though he was a little nervous at first.

All in all, it really wasn't so bad. Gaara was still a little nervous around him for a while, as if he was worried he'd up and disappear. He also got a little clingy once I a while, probably on a particularly bad day. The little kid seemed to consider him some kind of lifeline, someone he could look to for support, unlike his relationship with even his own father.

Of course, it wasn't really without a few problems.

"Oh my god, there he is again."

"How can he even stand being around that little _freak_?"

"Just wait for it. Gaara will kill him any day now."

Ah yes, like the whispers that drifted around whenever he and Gaara were seen together. You'd think the novelty of the whole thing would've worn off by now but, if anything, it only drew more attention as their meetings didn't stop. People were gawking at him as he walked through the streets holding Gaara's hand, staring at him like he was walking around with a rabid dog. He figured all the negative attention would probably ruin what reputation he was developing in the village, but he really didn't care. The opinions of idiots were pretty much worth zero to him, always had been.

The second problem, though, was much more worrying. He wasn't sure if he was happy with getting so much attention from the freaking _ANBU_ , but it was getting kinda annoying. They stayed out of sight, always just outside of his vision and barely within his ability to sense them. He was pretty sure it was an intentional action, some kind of psychological pressure tactic meant to push him into a nervous breakdown and reveal whatever evil plans he had in store. Too bad he'd already seen and experienced much worse. These guys were nothing.

( _The scent of burnt flesh and smoke searing his nostrils. The sound of screaming, death throes as children died under collapsing buildings shouting "MOMMY! DADDY!" Parents wailing over their corpses before death by a piercing bolt of lightning or slashing blade of wind. Earth cracking and upheaving as the writhing black mass roared and let out bellows of flame. Screaming. Dying. Running around as they burned to death.)_

…..No. These guys were _less_ than nothing. Not even worth a second thought.

Their boss, though? The fact that ANBU were following him made it clear that he'd attracted the Kazekage's attention. For better or worse, he couldn't say.

He shrugged it off. ' _Ah well._ ' "Come on Gaara, let's get something cold. I dunno know about you, but the dryness in the air is killing my throat."

oOoOoOoOo ? oOoOoOoOo

He stared down at the sight before him, his frown hidden behind the turban over his lower face.

' _I really don't know what to think of this._ '

On one hand, Gaara finally seemed to have a friend. Someone he could just spend some time with and have an actual _childhood_. Someone who didn't care about him being the Jinchūriki of Shukaku. He had a chance to just have some time as a normal child before his Ninja training started getting more serious. This was _good_.

So why was he so suspicious of it all? Why did it seem so strange and unbelievable to him?

Well, one reason was the notable difference in age. Gaara was just 3 while the other boy, Tetsuo, was seven years his senior at 10. Not much among adults, but worlds apart at that point in their lives. He was also the apprentice of Lady Chiyo, an old woman known for her mind games. Could she have put him up to this for some reason? Some kind of plan?

…No. Even _he_ could see such an accusation as nothing but paranoia. Maybe it was his own grudge against her talking in the back of his mind, that spiteful voice that peaked up whenever he remembered the part she played in his sister's death, but he still couldn't see her betraying her own village. Lady Chiyo might be apart from the inner workings and power games of the Hidden Sand, but that was all the more reason that she wouldn't bother with something like this. Besides, she was no traitor, for all her rather twisted sense of humor.

But what about her apprentice? He just appeared in the village out of nowhere and was suddenly recruited as her apprentice. She didn't exactly make a big scene about it, but it had still caused quite an uproar among the leadership of the Hidden Sand. Chiyo made her retirement from the village's roster quite a scene, even giving Rasa a pretty nasty headache. Thinking about it still brought a smile to his face.

But despite all their attempts to find some answers, they couldn't find any indication as to _why_ she accepted him as her apprentice. Around the time she took him on as her apprentice, they'd noticed she seemed to be procuring funds and an ownership permit to her own home. A strange series of events, given how isolated she'd gotten after her official retirement. After learning about Tetsuo, they'd assumed she had done so to give him a place to stay, apparently hoping to enroll him in the Academy. So what changed? What did he do to perk her interest to the point of making him her apprentice?

And now, three years after he'd appeared and been taken under her wing, he'd suddenly made friends with the village Jinchūriki, one of their most prized military assets. Or at least someone who would _become_ one of their most prized military assets.

Probably harmless, but it was still something to watch. That was why the Kazekage had sent him and a squad of ANBU out to watch over them whenever he and Gaara got together. It was pretty much a required response.

Still, assuming Tetsuo didn't have any ulterior motives, this little friendship between them would do Gaara quite a bit of good. He could only hope for the best, even as they planned for the worst.

Motioning for a subordinate nearby, he sensed him appear by his side with a Body Flicker. He didn't even turn as he gave his order. "Follow them for the day and give the Kazekage a report."

"Understood, sir."

As his subordinate vanished again, off to follow the order he'd been given, Yashamaru looked down on the two kids for the last time on that day. ' _Let's hope this ends well._ '

oOoOoOoOo Chiyo oOoOoOoOo

(The Next Day)

Ah. It really _is_ the small things in life that make it so grand. The taste of good food. The feeling of wind on your skin. Or the perfect expression on Tetsuo's face as he stared up at her after she imparted her most recent news on his progress. She really should've gotten a camera for this moment.

Shaking off his surprise, Tetsuo glared up at her as if looking for some hidden trick. Not a bad move, considering all the pranks she liked playing on him. "What did you just say?"

"I said you're ready to begin the next stage of your Puppeteering training," she repeated. "I would've started earlier, but I wanted to make sure, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that your skills had improved enough. I'm confident that they have."

And his face lit up like Christmas came early.

' _Alright, here it comes._ ' Taking out a scroll from her robes, she immediately unrolled and unsealed it to reveal the contents. A full combat model standard Puppet, spread out in scattered pieces. "First, I want you to give me a detailed report on the functions and purposes of each of these individual pieces, followed by an extensive sketching of the Puppet while fully reassembled, followed by putting it back together. I'll also want a full essay on the placement and function of every Seal on the chassis and a detailed blueprint of the final product." Seeing the look of dawning horror on Tetsuo's face, she wound up for the finishing blow. "Oh, and I'll need it all by the end of the week. That's…three days from now. Better hurry, otherwise I'll have to conclude that you're not ready and must restart your training. Good luck!"

Oooooh, there's the look she wanted. Yes, it was definitely the simple things that made life so grand. Like the perfect, panicked _OH CRAP_ look on the little brat's face.

oOoOoOoOo Tetsuo oOoOoOoOo

' _The sadistic old hag gave me HOMEWORK! Dammit, she's GOTTA be trying to get a rise outta me._ '

"Crazy lady and her damned _homework_."

Jeez, she _really_ liked to get a rise out of him like this. At this point he was pretty sure she was just straight up sadistic, or at least found some kind of sustenance in his suffering. Just when it looked like she was gonna start teaching him the good stuff, when it _finally_ looked like he was gonna start getting to the actual Puppeteering, she just dumped _this_ on him. There was _seriously_ something wrong with her.

It had been over an hour since she left him with these Puppet parts, telling him to thoroughly analyze everything and give her an extensive written report by the end of the week. In _three days_! Fortunately, he'd gotten a pretty good head start and was almost done with the Anchor Seals and outer functions of the chassis. There was a number of hidden external compartments that could hold a variety of different weaponry, like launching mechanisms for kunai and senbon needles. There weren't any Seals used for storing larger weaponry, but that was expected given this Puppet was a standard model. More advanced Seals were a personal addition, only executed with the help of a Seal master or extensive experience and study. Tetsuo was confident enough in his own skills to give it a try, but he'd rather do it on his _own_ Puppets, not Chiyo's. He was pretty sure she'd tan his hide if he even tried.

It had been roughly an hour since Chiyo had left him with the pieces of her disassembled Puppet and gave him this little test, since she gave him a timetable to get all the work done. If he didn't know better, he'd probably wonder if she even wanted him to pass at all. This wouldn't be easy, even for him.

On the other hand, this was _him_. Tetsuo had spent the last three years learning about these Puppets inside and out, including all the mechanics that allowed them to work and be such dangerous weapons. Three days was kinda pushing it, but he was confident it was enough time, and he already got a decent head start.

He was currently in the process of writing down his analysis of all the Seals used in its construction and functions, plotting them out and hammering out the reasons for their placement. He was suddenly _very_ grateful for all the Sealing manuals he'd studied over the years, this would practically be impossible if he hadn't.

Unfortunately, it looked like that was all he'd be able to do right now. He could hear someone approaching from one of the halls and, judging from the haste in their steps, it looked like it was urgent.

Turning around, he saw Chiyo open the door with an unusual degree of force, practically slamming it to the wall as she opened it. The look on her face was even stranger, some kind of expression of panic. Well, maybe panic was a little too strong, but she was definitely nervous, that much he could easily tell. What the hell was going on here? "What's up, Chiyo?"

"Tetsuo," she began, instantly putting him on edge. She almost _never_ used his name when talking to him, definitely not to his face. "Come on, the Kazekage wants to speak with you."

Oh boy. This probably wasn't good.

oOoOoOoOo

Looking around, Tetsuo couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at the office. This was supposed to be where the Kazekage overlooked the Hidden Sand Village, his seat of power and influence, the room where all his policies were dictated before being set in motion. He'd always imagined it to be a very impressive place whenever he thought about it, but it was just so…unadorned. Spartan, even. There were barely any furnishings here at all, it was just a room with the bare basics for it to work. Guess poverty reached all the way up, huh?

As his eyes landed on the Kazekage himself, though, he realized it seemed to rather suit the man. Without that ridiculous hat on his head and being this close to him, he finally got a good look at the leader of the Hidden Sand and had a chance to start forming a better picture of him. He didn't wear any kinds of accessories or adornments, nothing flashy to highlight his features or draw attention. Perhaps a sign of frugality? Or maybe he just didn't care to pretty himself up for others. His face was hard with the beginnings of some stress lines, kinda expected with the current problems Hidden Sand was facing.

But what stood out most was his eyes. Dark and flinty, the eyes of a man who would do whatever it took to win and survive. An attitude that was modified to place the Hidden Sand above his own interests or anything else. The eyes of someone who could come down on any threats like the hammer of an angry god of war.

It might've been impressive if Tetsuo had any respect for him, but he was far past that point. This was a man who screwed up _bad_ , someone who apparently had no idea about the consequences of what his actions really were. Putting the village first, the greater whole first, was fine. It was even necessary. But Tetsuo just couldn't bring himself to ignore the man's idiocy. Something the Kazekage seemed to pick up on, if the look in his eyes was any indication. His choice of words made the man's notice even more obvious. "You don't like me very much, do you."

"No." He could hear Chiyo almost hiss in the chair beside him at his bluntness. He ignored her, shrugging off her warning to watch his words. "To be honest, I think your some kind of idiot."

The room went so quiet you could hear a senbon hit the floor. The ANBU in the room went still as statues, probably too nervous to move and become the next centers of the Kazekage's attention. None of them wanted to be on the receiving end of his current glare.

Tetsuo had to admit, it was a pretty good glare. His eyes turned sharp and piercing, cold as ice instead of hot as fire. That was probably a better glare anyway. Heated glares tended to come across as too unfocused, implying a lack of control to hone it all on one person.

Tetsuo swore he almost saw some of the ANBU flinch back as the man smiled slightly. "An idiot, huh?" His voice came out smooth, controlled with a barely discernable threat. Most dangerously though, was the apparent amusement. "I assume it has something to do with my son, Gaara." Tetsuo nodded in the affirmative. "If you have a complaint, let's hear it."

He heard Chiyo groan in her chair as she saw the glimmer in her apprentice's eyes. Ignoring her, he took a breath and said what he'd been thinking since he'd first met Gaara. "You didn't just screw the pooch, sir. You rammed a foot long iron dildo up its ass without any lube and expected it to ask for more. I can't really think of any way you could've handled it worse."

Chiyo looked like she was gonna faint in her chair as her face went white as a sheet and her body went limp as an inert Puppet. The ANBU in the room actually seemed to be inching to any place that could give them a way out. There was even one ANBU in particular that seemed to be holding back his laughter, if his slightly bulging eyes and the tremors in his body were any indication.

But the Kazekage didn't even flinch at the words, didn't seem at all surprised at being so scathingly called out by some little kid. He really didn't seem to react at all on the surface, but that was why Tetsuo was watching his eyes.

The cold, sharp glare was gone, replaced by some kind of….measuring look. He didn't seem angry or annoyed, not even surprised. If Tetsuo wasn't so sure he was about to get his hide tanned for speaking out, he'd even say the man actually looked a little impressed. Pleased, even.

"What makes you say that?" There was something in his tone. Not exactly hopeful but…..expectant? Was there something in particular he wanted to hear? Well, no turning back now.

"You sealed Shukaku into your own son and just tossed him to the wolves. You're expecting him to be a military asset when you forget he's still just some 3 year old kid. You're just letting him wander around in a village full of people that are scared of him at best or hate him at worst and you actually expect that to be good for his head? You've pretty much set him up to be a ticking time bomb in your own territory and you're not even _trying_ to do damage control, you're letting the clock tick down. You needed stronger Shinobi, I get it. Making your son a Jinchūriki was the quickest way, I get that too. What I _don't_ get, is why you though it was okay for you to do such a half-assed job and just let the dice start rolling. With an approach like that, I'm a little shocked you're still the Kazekage at all."

' _Wow. It's a miracle how the atmosphere could change just by saying the right words._ '

The room was quiet before, but after his little exclamation it went as silent as a graveyard. He was pretty sure everyone had stopped breathing, unwilling to make the slightest motion.

Well, everyone except for the Kazekage. He was still much the same as before, still calm and in control. He must've had one _hell_ of a poker face to keep up that calm mask after such a bad insult regarding his leadership. In all honesty, Tetsuo was a little surprised he was still alive after saying all that.

"I see you've developed Chiyo's sense of bluntness. Let's hope you don't get her humor to go along with it."

He heard the hag choking on air beside him, probably trying to keep herself from having a heart attack in the office of her own boss. That'd be an embarrassing way to go.

But, with his choice of response, a little life seemed to come back to the room. The ANBU became a little less skittish, some noise became discernable again, and –perhaps most notable of all- he could _swear_ the Kazekage's lips tilted upward slightly. Was he really smiling?

"Everyone leave. I'll speak with the boy alone for a moment."

The ANBU left on demand, but Chiyo took a moment to glare Tetsuo down for almost giving her a heart attack. Come on, it's not like he was doing it on purpose.

In less than ten seconds, he and the Kazekage were the only people in his office and Tetsuo was a little curious why the man wanted him to stay. It didn't look like he was actually _angry_ with him for the choice of words, but why else would he keep him here?

"Curious why I wanted you to stay?" What the…? Could this guy read minds or something? "No, I can't. It's just an expected train of thought for someone in your circumstances."

The Kazekage moved, leaning back slightly in his chair as he let out a light sigh. "Do you have any idea how many times I've thought over that choice?" he asked. Something told Tetsuo it wasn't really a question, though, so he remained silent. "Almost every single day. It was for the village, for our survival, for a chance at prominence. Those are the reasons I kept telling myself. What I kept repeating when it looked like everything went wrong."

The man rose from his seat, walking to one of the windows to see the village below. "It was necessary. I've accepted _that_ , but did it really work? Do you know how frustrating it is when you want to know just how _badly_ you screwed up so you can start doing something to fix it? Especially when nobody even has the nerve to tell you what you actually did wrong." The Kazekage turned to him, all the frustration becoming obvious on his face. "I don't _like_ when people tell me I made a mistake. But just like having Shukaku sealed into my son, it's _necessary_. And if it helps to support this village, I will do _whatever_ is necessary, including having my mistakes spelled out to me."

Walking back to his own seat, an odd weight in his movements, the Kazekage sat down and stared at him with an odd look of approval. "So, imagine my surprise when it's some child, of all people, who calls me out on it."

' _Wait, he's not pissed?_ ' That was…a little shocking, really. He was half sure that the man would've wanted his hide tanned for speaking out at him so bluntly in front of his own people. Tetsuo hadn't exactly been soft with his choice of words, either.

"My son has actually talked about you, you know." Well, that wasn't too surprising. He never really told Gaara not to talk about him, so maybe he should've expected this. He didn't miss the slightly guilty look on the Kazekage's face. "He thinks the world of you, in fact. You're his first friend, or the first person he's ever really _called_ a friend. The only other person to spend time with him is his uncle, Yashamaru. He's been assigned as his caretaker, due to my own lack of available time to spend with him." Clearing his face of the slightly guilty look, the Kazekage put on his leadership expression again. "I'd like for your time together to continue. You were right when you said he was a time bomb, and he needs someone to help keep him from going off. Just you getting to know him has done a great deal to help with his mental stability." His lips went up in a wry smile. "You don't really need to consider this an order. Something tells me you'd keep spending time with him either way. You're dismissed."

It took a moment for the last words to register and Tetsuo's body to respond. Getting up and heading to the door, he thought over just what the _hell_ happened. Seriously, how was he even still alive?

He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't notice Chiyo before she gave him a hard conk on the head. "Ouch! What was that for you old hag?"

Red-faced, Chiyo all but screamed, "You know what that's for, brat! I almost died of a heart attack in there because of you! Do you have some kind of death wish? Because if you do, you're keeping _me_ out of it!"

Seeing her march off in a huff was so funny that he almost forgot what happened in the Kazekage's office. Almost forgot what the man told him. _I'd like for your time together to continue._

Was that it? Was that really the only reason the freaking Kazekage had called him down here? To tell him to keep hanging out with his son?

No, that couldn't be the only reason. The man might've had the power to do that, but that didn't sound right to him, it would just be a waste of time to tell him to do something he knew he was already doing. But what about the rest of the meeting, when he talked to him about the situation with Gaara? Was it a test of some kind to see if he'd finally found someone willing to point out his mistakes? Possible, but….

Dammit, this was making his head hurt. Maybe he was reading too much into this. The man didn't seem to disapprove of him and Gaara hanging out, so he'd leave it at that. It's not like he disliked going around with the kid, he was just a little nervous now that he knew the Kazekage would be keeping an even closer eye on him.

' _Ah, screw it. I'll meet up with the little guy tomorrow, anyway. No point in driving myself crazy from overthinking his dad's crap._ '

Following after Chiyo, he mentally went over all the work he'd done on the Puppet already. He was interrupted before he could do anything especially comprehensive, but if he pushed himself he could probably get it done before going to see Gaara tomorrow. At least he had a schedule. That was a little help.

 **xXx**

Hey everybody. So, it looks like Tetsuo has gotten the Kazekage's attention for hanging out with his son, and we get a little glimpse of his character. It wasn't exactly expanded on in canon, but Rasa struck me as a guy who was very aware of how badly he screwed up at his job and wanted to fix it somehow. I'm trying to portray him as more than just Gaara's failure of a father who horribly bungled up his situation and make him a little more fleshed out. Did I do a good job or bad on that front?

Please review and have a nice day!


	7. New Friends, More Baggage

Chapter 7

 **New Friends, More Baggage**

xXx

oOoOoOoOo Tetsuo oOoOoOoOo

' _Jeez, has it really been over four years now? Time sure flies._ '

It really did. Sometimes he had a little trouble grasping just how much things had changed for him. The skills he'd gained, the Jutsu he'd learned, the things he'd seen. ' _And how could I possibly forget the dear lackeys who follow me around?_ '

Well, that last little comment wasn't exactly fair. Shira and Gaara definitely weren't lackeys. They were friends, no matter how much he loved to drive them both nuts and mess with their heads.

As he sat down on a bench in between them, the trio eating some fast food as a quick snack for the day before they continued their training, he honestly thought there was no place he'd rather be.

…' _Ah man, what the hell is wrong with me? I hope I'm not going soft or anything._ '

Absently, he looked around himself at his two friends with subtle glances. Gaara had grown slightly since they'd first met, but he was still a pretty small guy, not unexpected given he was only around four and a half years old. He seemed much more at ease now, though. He wasn't as skittish as he used to be and actually contributed to the conversations once in a while. He seemed genuinely happy, these days.

' _Good._ '

Shira was a little harder to read, though. He seemed to have developed a bit of a poker face, probably as a defense mechanism against Tetsuo's almost constant ribbing of him. Who would've thought getting someone to lighten up could make him get so quiet? Seriously, Tetsuo would need to step up his game to start getting any reactions out of him now. Then again, that meant his reactions would now be _so_ much more fun to watch, it was always more fun seeing someone go pale or watch their eyes go wide when you actually had to _work_ for it.

Yes, he was indeed a massive troll. Why did you ask?

Finishing his last bite, Tetsuo stood up and dusted himself off. Pretty much a required motion out in a desert, whether or not they were actually in the confines of the village. "Alright, back to training."

The other two finished their own snacks and rose from the bench, following him as they went back to their training area. He'd sort of become the ringleader of their little group, they certainly listened to him like he was.

Entering an area outside the village itself, they ended up in by a small oasis outside the tall sandstone walls. It wasn't anything particularly special, just a mild source of water and some grass with a single bushy-topped tree. Not pleasant to look at, but it had everything they needed. Plenty of open space to move around, lots of sand for Gaara to practice with and, most of all, a source of water for Tetsuo to practice his Water Style Ninjutsu with.

"Alright, spread out."

The other two responded quickly, heading to their own area around the oasis to catch up where their own training left off. Gaara and Shira were working as a team, the little redhead making clones of sand and having them attack Shira in swarms as Shira fought them off. It was a little training regimen they'd designed to help Gaara gain better fine control over his sand while getting Shira an opportunity to fight against multiple opponents and work on his stamina. Simple, but effective. They'd actually coma a long way since the exercise was first thought up, with Gaara able to control almost a dozen at a time as Shira's stamina continued to grow.

Tetsuo's own training, on the other hand, revolved around the water of the oasis. He'd finally found a place where he could start practicing his Water Style abilities and he was gonna use it as much as possible. He hadn't even gotten close to the point where he could manifest water from his own body yet, so he needed to use preexisting sources.

After learning a basic Water Style Jutsu from Chiyo, he'd started practicing his element wherever the water was available. It took him some time, not to mention the trial and error, but over time he'd even managed to make himself a new Water Style Jutsu.

Flashing through some hand signs, he summoned up the Chakra and released it into the water, connecting to it with a Chakra Thread with imbued with some of his Water Chakra.

Slowly, some of the water lifted up from the oasis, seeming to flow out of the oasis and onto the sandy bank around it. Creeping out, the flow stopped and coming towards him and started flowing _upward_ into a vaguely humanoid shape. Slowly molding the finer details of its own body, it started defining its height and build, its facial features and other characteristics.

Over a period of roughly ten seconds, it turned into a watery copy of Tetsuo himself as his Chakra slowly changed the water on the outer body and made it a complete replica. Everything about it was right on the money according to his own looks; his height, weight, build, facial features-

"Tetsuo," Shira called out, still warding off Gaara's Sand Clones. "Stop admiring yourself and get back to actually training."

….Wow, he had to admit that was actually a pretty good zinger.

Still, Tetsuo was a little proud of this accomplishment. Unlike a normal Water Clone that was outside of the fine control of the summoner, the result of the Jutsu that he'd dubbed Water Style: Water Echo was essentially an advanced Water Clone that he could control with all the precision of a Puppet. He could even shift it between a harder state and liquid state, allowing it to sneak around people by turning into water that could silently flow along the ground, walls or even the ceiling all while seeing things through their own eyes. The stealth applications were something he had every reason to be proud of.

Given time, the direct combat applications could also be good. The ability to turn attacked regions of the Water Echo's body into a fluid form while keeping the rest solid would make them very hard to put down while on the assault, especially when he got the hang of using more than one at a time.

Regardless, he still had a ways to go before this particular Jutsu could be all it could be, so that meant he'd need to keep training.

Summoning up more threads from his hand, he used the water from the oasis to make more Water Echo's and had them move in tandem. He briefly considered making them all fight each other, but his control over them wasn't quite fine enough to make it look anything less than embarrassing. Instead, he was focusing on having them each do a series of motions like the ones Chiyo had him do with that first Puppet from so long ago.

Not exactly impressive, but progress was progress.

oOoOoOoOo

Shira sighed at him. "For the last time, Tetsuo, I'm not interested in being a practice dummy."

"Come on, Shira," he urged. "I'm gonna need to test them on fighting targets anyway and you're the best Taijutsu user I know. Besides, you do it with Gaara's Sand Clones, why not with my Water Echoes?"

"Maybe because Gaara's Sand Clones won't get me drenched."

Tetsuo rolled his eyes at the comeback. "Oh, come on, we live in the damned desert. Your clothes'll dry off in maybe a half hour if I get them wet."

"The water on my skin would also dry and chap my skin as it evaporates. Not interested."

This conversation had been going on since they'd stopped their training for the day. It wasn't even the first time it'd gotten started, they got into this particular debate several times by now. Tetsuo didn't get what Shira was so worried about, he could easily heal any sunburn his friend got from being doused in water under the sunlight. "Gaara, come on, back me up here."

"I…..I think I'll just say out of this."

' _Sandy! How could you betray me in my hour of need?_ '

Still, it was nice to see Gaara getting a little more assertive. He was usually so quiet that you'd be forgiven for not even noticing he was around. He rarely actually contributed to any conversations, but that seemed more of a personal choice than shyness, at least now.

They made a bit of an odd trio as they walked down the sandy street; an orphan from the border, an Academy reject and the village Jinchūriki. You could imagine the looks they often got from the people who saw them, but at least they were staring at the oddity of the group rather than singling out Gaara.

It was a little odd how they formed a friendly dynamic with each other so easily. Maybe it was from their training together, or maybe it was because they were all so young, though Gaara was still younger by roughly seven years.

Anyway, after their day of training, the three of them were heading on back to the central office of the Hidden Sand Village. It was pretty much a routine by now, walking on by during their hang out days to pick up Gaara and take him along with them before dropping him back off when the day ended.

Seeing the entrance ahead, Tetsuo spotted Gaara's own siblings waiting. Temari and Kankurō, if memory served.

Temari, the oldest, was a green eyed girl with blond hair pulled back into a single braid going down her back. Kankurō, the middle sibling, was a boy with features more resembling Rasa, though they were a little hard to see past all the paint he wore on his face.

This was actually a little rare for them. From what he'd gathered from Gaara and second hand info, Gaara's older siblings didn't exactly have a model relationship with him. In fact, it wasn't very hard for him to conclude they were a little scared of him, probably over the Jinchūriki thing.

Idiots. It wasn't Gaara's fault their father screwed things up so badly and made him a Jinchūriki. Yeah, Jinchūriki were powerful and could be pretty scary because of the Tailed Beasts inside them, but only if they were unstable enough to be psychotic. Gaara wasn't unstable, a little fragile maybe, but he wasn't _nearly_ as bad as he could've ended up.

Still, no point in making a scene. He dodged a kunai when he spelled everything out to Rasa and he wasn't interested in seeing how he'd react if he did the same to his other kids.

As the trio walked further forward to the building, Temari stepped forward and walked up to their little group. Looks like she was getting a little open to them now. She'd never walked up to actually greet them before, though the slightly angry look on her face was a bit of a letdown.

"Where's Gaara?"

…Say wha'?

"What are you talking about? He's right…" his gesture towards Gaara at the left side of their little trio was a little empty when he realized Gaara wasn't there. Turning fully around, then looking around Shira to see if Gaara was hiding behind him, he realized that Gaara really wasn't with them.

' _Where the hell did he go?_ '

oOoOoOoOo Gaara oOoOoOoOo

Gaara had actually split from the group a few minutes before they reached their usual meeting point. It wasn't too hard, surprisingly. Tetsuo and Shira were so busy with their usual back and forth banter that they didn't even notice him slipping away.

Of course, this didn't exactly answer _why_ he decided to slip away from them. After all, what reason would he have to sneak away from them? Well, technically it was because he didn't really intend to sneak away, he was just quiet enough to move away silently from the group.

The reason? The reason was someone sitting on a bench in the eastern part of the village. A girl, maybe around Tetsuo's age and all alone. He saw her walking by on the other side of the street, moving so quietly that she seemed to be trying to turn herself invisible.

Her features were a little strange for someone who lived in the Hidden Sand Village, or in the Land of Wind at all. With light blue eyes and very pale hair, she would've almost looked like some kind of albino if he couldn't see the slight blonde tint in her hair. Not exactly the kind of pigments you'd see in the desert.

He didn't really know why at the time, but something made him follow her. She just seemed so familiar, somehow and he wanted to know why.

Quietly following her along, she led him through a number of other streets and alleys until they ended up here, with the girl sitting quietly on the bench. She didn't make a single noise or sound at all as he followed her along, he wasn't even sure if she knew he was even following her, so he didn't really make any sound either.

' _Why am I even following her?_ '

"Why are you following me, kid?"

Gaara stiffened. Apparently she really _did_ notice him, but what should he do now?

Still hidden inside an alley she'd led him down through, he slowly peeked his head out from his hiding spot to peek at her. He almost pulled his head back into the alley when he saw the expression on her face. She didn't really look _angry_ , per se, but she definitely wasn't happy. At the very least, she definitely looked annoyed.

Well, no point in hiding when she knew he was here.

Stepping fully into the street, he noticed that she didn't flinch back when she saw who he was. Her only reaction was the barely noticeable flash of recognition in her eyes as she saw the rest of his face in the waning light. That was a little strange.

"You're the Jinchūriki, right? Why were you following me?"

Good question. Why _was_ he?

"I…..I don't know."

She looked at him like he'd just grown a second head. "You don't know? What kind of joke _is_ that? Just leave me alone like everyone else. Pretend I don't even exist."

Something clicked in his head at that, some chain of words that flickered in his mind as recognition.

' _Just pretend she doesn't exist._ '

And that's when it hit him. That was why she seemed familiar, what urged him to follow her.

It's because she moved and acted just like how _he_ used to.

"Gaara!"

oOoOoOoOo Tetsuo oOoOoOoOo

"Gaara!"

Dammit, where did he go? Seriously, if the little guy could sneak away from him and Shira _that_ easily than it was a great indicator for his future as a prospective Ninja. Unfortunately, that skill he had in sneaking wouldn't exactly help Tetsuo if the Kazekage decided to tan his hide for losing his son. Rasa didn't exactly strike him as overwhelmingly parental, but he was pretty sure the guy still cared about his kids, cared enough to _really_ hurt him if Gaara ended up lost or worse.

Running down another alley, he let out a sigh of relief as he finally spotted him. "Gaara, jeez, you really scared me by walking off like that."

Gaara seemed to shrink in on himself a little and Tetsuo suddenly felt like a bit of an ass. It wasn't Gaara's fault that he still had some trouble knowing what was appropriate, the kid was still getting used to having friends at _all_.

Walking up to the little redhead, Tetsuo put a hand on his shoulder as a gesture of comfort. "It's alright, little guy. Just don't do it again, okay?"

Gaara looked up at him and nodded in confirmation. Okay, hopefully this wouldn't happen again. Come to think of it….."Why did you run off anyway?"

Gaara looked a little conflicted at the question, looking awkwardly down at the ground. Was it something embarrassing? "It's just…..I was following _her_."

He pointed over to a bench some distance away. Rather, he pointed to a girl that was _sitting_ on the bench. A girl who also happened to be glaring at Tetsuo himself with a _very_ heated look. ' _Is it weird that I think her glare is kinda cute?_ '

Wait. Gaara walked out here because he as following a _girl_? Wasn't he a little young for that kinda thing? Guys weren't supposed to notice girls until they were around 11-13 years old, so what was he missing here? "Why did you follow her?"

"I…..she just…reminded me of someone."

' _Reminded you?_ '

Tetsuo looked over at the girl in question, ignoring the glare she was still sending him. Who could she have reminded him of? She didn't really resemble anyone that Tetsuo was aware of, or anyone Gaara had told him about. Maybe it was for something besides her looks? But what could… wait a minute.

Gently urging Gaara along with him, he walked up to her. Getting a closer look as he walked forward, she actually looked kind of cute. Her features were pretty out of the ordinary for someone in the Hidden Sand Village, but her most noticeable features were the marks by her eyes. A light purple coloring just in the undersides of her eye sockets, somewhat similar to eye shadow. "Is that just make up or is it a natural trait?"

The slight tightening of her eyes indicated it wasn't exactly a question she liked very much. "They're birthmarks," she hissed out. "What of it?"

Her reaction told him plenty, but not quite enough to be sure. "Have people been teasing you over them?"

She just glared at him even harder. "Among _other_ things."

Yeah, that answered him. It also explained why Gaara seemed to recognize her, though not personally. He was just recognizing a fellow outcast. That's why he followed her, curiosity at seeing someone else like him.

He noticed Gaara staring up at him from the corner of his vision, a pleading expression on his face. Tetsuo had a pretty good idea of what Gaara wanted from him, it was actually pretty obvious. But _should_ he? He liked to consider himself a nice guy, but there was a difference between being nice and trying to be everybody's friend.

'… _Ah, shit. I can't say no when Sandy looks at me like that._ '

Not really sure if this would be a smart move or not, he held out a hand to her. "Yo. What's your name?"

She blinked, looking at his offered hand as if it was some strange creature she'd never seen before. She actually took a moment to look on and around it, as if she were checking it for any traps or pranking equipment. He wasn't sure if it was more along the lines of funny or just straight up depressing.

' _Nah. It's definitely depressing._ '

Once she was done looking his hand over for any hidden kunai or senbon and discovered that he really wasn't trying to trick her in any way. If anything, though, it seemed to make her even more irritable. Her expression became a roughly even combination of annoyance and suspicion as she looked up at him. "Just what are you playing at?"

"Nothing."

His simple answer just seemed to make her even more annoyed, her right eye twitching as her temper started building up. Maybe he could've worded that better, but he thought bluntness would work better in this case.

Forcefully calming herself down, the girl grit her teeth before speaking again. "Why should you even care?"

"I cared enough to help out Gaara. Why can't I do it here?"

Barely registering Gaara's hand holding his own a little more tightly, he was more interested in measuring the reaction of the girl in front of him. She was surprised, no doubt about it, but she actually hid it pretty well. Besides a brief flicker behind her eyes, she kept her expression pretty flat. Even as she took a glance at Gaara to see that, yes, the little boy beside him really _was_ the village Jinchūriki.

Gaara almost looked like he was gonna say something, but he stopped at the last moment before it could come out. Looks like he was still pretty shy around new people, similar situation or otherwise.

She looked at his hand again, this time with a little less suspicion. Then she looked up at _him_ , then back to the hand, up at him, then back to the hand again. After the last look, she slowly, almost shakily, extended her own hand out and took it, giving it a brief shake. "The name's Kunou."

He smiled. Her answer came out a little tense, but it was still an answer. Not the most impressive first step, but progress was progress. He'd take what he could get.

Still, maybe he could push his luck a _little_ more. He'd gotten this far by pushing it, after all.

"So, you live around here?"

oOoOoOoOo Chiyo oOoOoOoOo

"About time," Chiyo muttered, hearing the pair of footsteps coming up behind her. "Please don't tell me you're gonna make a habit of doing this."

Seriously, she'd just finished making dinner for tonight and he just walked in when everything was set up on the table. She was starting to wonder how much longer it would be until he missed dinner entirely for some reason and start complaining to her for not waiting for him.

"Sorry, Granny. Something came up."

She rolled her eyes at the response, her back still turned to him. "Oh! Well, that just explains everything." She turned around, expecting Tetsuo to have his usual bullshit grin on again. "Well, sit down so we can….."

' _Wait a minute. Three?_ '

She blinked a few times and the girl was still there. She rubbed her eyes and the girl was still there. She did a quick Genjutsu canceler and the girl _was STILL_ _ **THERE!**_

And _now_ she saw the grin on Tetsuo's face. "Oh, this is Kunou. New friend, just met her today. The place she lives in is crap, so I offered for her to stay with _us_ instead. Hope you made some extra, otherwise she can just eat _yours_."

Chiyo didn't even hear anything the damned brat said to her. No, her attention was focused on something else. Something _MUCH_ more alarming. The fact the he had just admitted to bringing a _GIRL_ to what was essentially his home!

' _Dear god, it's finally happened! THE BRAT'S DISCOVERED HIS HORMONES!_ _ **I'M TOO OLD FOR THIS SHIT!**_ '

oOoOoOoOo Kunou oOoOoOoOo

Kunou was having the very unusual experience of seeing an old lady _many_ years her senior suddenly break down in tears. Like, right in front of her. It wasn't even the quiet and dignified kind of breaking into tears, she was on the floor _bawling_ like a little kid and banging her hands on the ground. It was actually a little disturbing.

She also didn't miss the smile on Tetsuo's face actually _growing_ as this happened in front of him. She wasn't entirely sure how these two knew each other, but it looked like their relationship was kinda…..complicated.

Then again, maybe this guy just had some screws loose. It wouldn't really surprise her, considering he seemed to be friends with the village Jinchūriki.

Turning to the quiet member of their little trio, she lightly elbowed him in the side to get his attention. "Is he _always_ like this?"

His sigh told her yes. His words reinforced it. "You have _no_ idea."

' _What the hell did I just get myself into?_ '

oOoOoOoOo Tetsuo oOoOoOoOo

oOoOoOoOo 1 Week Later oOoOoOoOo

"Again!" Chiyo barked out loud. For the _sixth_ time!

Biting back an exhausted sigh, Tetsuo struggled up to his feet and extended his Chakra Threads. Seeing them move so sluggishly, so embarrassingly _slowly_ , made it clear how exhausted he was. As the tips reached out the largest piece of the wooden Puppet chassis with an Anchor Seal, he saw the Threads multiply as they manifested beneath the Anchor Seals, reaching out to the other shattered pieces of his destroyed Puppet.

Over a long and embarrassing period of three minutes, he repeated the process until all three of his Puppets were whole and working again. Unfortunately, they also happened to be moving rather sluggishly compared to how they started out. They'd even used up most of the ammunition of their hidden weaponry, at this point they were all just scary pieces of wood.

Chiyo had been doing this for the past week, calling him out to practice with his Puppets by fighting against her own in Puppet battles. He'd honestly been excited at first, seeing it as an opportunity to show how his skills had improved after so much time spent on building and practicing with them.

Chiyo just took it as a chance to continuously _destroy_ him, an opportunity to show just how large the gap in their skills really was. Looks like she was more steamed with him that he'd thought. And as he sent his three Puppets against her _ten_ , he knew she was gonna do it again.

It wasn't even a fight, not really. Frankly, it was more of a massacre. As mentioned before, his Puppets had used up all the ammo for any ranged attacks, which meant they had to engage in melee. Even though Tetsuo still hadn't developed the reflexes and fine control for it. Chiyo, on the other hand, made every hidden kunai count and still had plenty to use, not to mention had developed the necessary skills for using Puppets in melee since long before Tetsuo had even been born.

His Puppets were destroyed in the span of a minute. No, wait. Make that thirty seconds.

' _Yeah, this sucks._ '

 **xXx**

Here's the newest chapter folks!

So, looks like Tetsuo has found the third member of his personal group. You'll be seeing more of her in the future as they spend more time together, and I've also got a plan for how to get them all on their own team.

As for Tetsuo's Puppets, sorry I couldn't really portray them better or a bit more thoroughly. I got so wrapped up in writing the rest of the chapter that I kinda ran out of time for today and didn't and things to drag on too much. Besides, don't forget that he only _recently_ started training with them on top of everything else he's learning. He'll get better, don't worry, and he'll also come up with some _really_ nice ideas for them. I already have a particular trick in mind for the near future, not to mention something _mouth wateringly awesome_ much later. Let's just say he's gonna be one _hell_ of a Puppeteer.

Anyways, please point out any typos you might see. I hate typos and I want to fix any you might point out.

Review and have a nice day!


	8. We're ALL Misfits

Chapter 8

 **We're ALL Misfits**

xXx

oOoOoOoOo Tetsuo oOoOoOoOo

The sound of explosions shattered the air, centered around a training area beyond the walls of the Hidden Sand Village. It had become somewhat common by now, occurring roughly once a week for the past two months. The routine of the event made it somewhat easier to tune out for the border patrols, letting them ignore it as they took their rounds.

What were the explosions from? Why, from Tetsuo's weekly Puppet training sessions with Chiyo, of course. After she finally got over that little prank he'd pulled on her, she became much more interested in getting his skills in Puppetry up to par. It was supposed to be the lynchpin of his array of skills, so of course they'd spend time working on them. And as Chiyo kept having him push his three Puppets to the limit, he was very grateful that she'd spent so much time drilling their workings and functions into his head.

He twitched a finger on his right hand, sending an impulse along the Chakra Thread that caused the desired reaction from one of his three puppets. Floating up over the battlefield, the Puppet held out one of its arms, compartments opening up to shoot out a hail of kunai. Spreading along the ground to flush out one of Chiyo's stealthier models, the paper bombs attached to the weapons immediately detonated, coating a small area of the desert with fire and smoke.

The Puppet in question was vaguely humanoid. Proportioned like a typical human male, it was almost six feet in height and garbed in a long coat, lacking in sleeves. Its head and face were similarly humanoid in shape, but the crown of the head was ringed with eight horn like protrusions, sharp and metallic, gleaming from the light. The arms were most notable, six arms instead of the typical two, each and every one unusually thick. Asura, he called it, his primary long range attacker. Each arm held a number of compartments with varieties of projectile weaponry, each pair of arms holding different ammo. The uppermost arms fired off kunai with attached paper bombs, meant to explode on impact and destroy units of potential enemies. The second pair, in the middle, fired off senbon wrapped with similar tags, but of his own altered design. Instead of blowing up on contact, they were proximity explosives, meant for setting traps and creating bottlenecks. The lowest pair of arms held more senbon, but coated in the best poisons he could find or make. Unlike the other two pairs of arms, the ones focused on firing en masse, the senbon of the lowest two were meant for precise firing, shooting single senbon accurately over a distance.

Looking over the area, he was rather pleased with the results his puppet had gotten. The surrounding area of the desert was pockmarked with countless craters and more than a few crude concentrations of glass. Chiyo had been somewhat against him designing Asura with explosives in mind, preferring poisons and precision over a wide area of loud destruction, but she couldn't deny the results.

Seeing something approach out of his peripheral vision, he twitched the fingers of his left hand and another Puppet responded. He barely caught sight of the model Chiyo had sent his way before his own Puppet intercepted it.

A much larger model in the form of a centipede turned its head towards the attacker, opening its mandibles to shoot out a concentrated stream of fire. As the current of flame impacted, the attacking puppet was blown back by the force, burning and crackling as its chassis was quickly reduced to ashes from the heat.

Crawler, that was the Puppet's name. It was easily his largest puppet, as long as three full grown men and wide as a man's torso. Bulky and slow, it was made more for defensive purposes than joining in an offensive. Its chassis was thick and well protected, packed with seals made to enhance the durability of the wood _many_ times over, easily stronger than thick steel plating. Wrapping its body around Tetsuo for protection, several of the wooden plates of the chassis moved and interlocked, creating a strong barrier around him as the head looked out for intruders. Seeing through the eyes of Crawler, he spotted two more Puppets incoming and switched to the secondary cannon hidden in his mandibles, shooting out a high pressure stream of water and tearing the incoming Puppets apart like wet paper. Just because Crawler was defense oriented didn't mean Tetsuo forgot to give him some good options in a fight.

He switched his sight to his last Puppet, another humanoid one that he'd named Rōnin. Crawler's body around him might give him a very strong defense, but it also made it difficult to see his other Puppets and effectively control them, meaning this Jutsu Chiyo had taught him to let him see through his Puppets as practically a necessity.

Unlike Asura, and _definitely_ unlike Crawler, Rōnin was entirely human in appearance. Built with a special chassis that resembled the armor of a Samurai, it was armed with a pair of swords that conducted Chakra. A rather pricey addition that Chiyo made clear he would need to pay her back for.

While some people might wonder why each Puppet as so different, that was actually a necessary part of making them so effective in battle. Puppets weren't like Shinobi, they weren't a truly living entity that could shift tactics and equipment for different tasks, they could only fight in the way they were _built_ to fight. That was why Puppets were often deployed in small teams, each rounding out a particular style of fighting to cover each other's weaknesses and work in tandem. It was Formation, one of the three principles of Puppet warfare that Chiyo had taught him alongside Preparation and Adaptation. And Tetsuo was proud to say he was getting rather good at all three.

Quickly moving the Puppet around in the air, he briefly suffered a dizzy spell as he experienced its speed first hand. While it had some hidden compartments and weaponry like the others, its primary focus in conception had been in _speed_. It was a Puppet made for pursuit and rapid attacking, quickly negating the distance to hit with surprise and bring its dual swords to bear. Not to mention Rōnin's potential for scouting, it was amazing how quickly you could gain info on your surroundings by having a bird's eye view and moving fast enough.

Seeing a pair of enemy Puppets, Rōnin flew down to intercept them, bringing hi swords to bare as he landed. Blocking their quick physical blows with the reinforced bracers of his arms, the Samurai themed Puppet slashed out both swords and cut through them with ease, shaving through the wooden chassis'.

Taking to the sky again, Rōnin looked around for any more enemy Puppets. Seeing nothing of note, Tetsuo shifted his sight to Asura and looked through the other Puppet's eyes. Nothing. He was just about to switch to Crawler when-

"-Sloppy!"

The words barked out beneath him and Tetsuo was seeing through his own eyes again, buried up to his neck in the sand. What the-

"Not too bad, not too bad at all," Chiyo chimed out, standing over him inside Crawler's defensive barrier. "But you can't get careless just because you're hidden in here. _I_ found you, and a real enemy won't just bury you up in the sand."

Tetsuo _tried_ to listen to her, he really did, but he was kinda steamed right now because this was the _third_ time Chiyo had pulled something like this. She somehow seemed to know whenever he was looking through his Puppet's eyes, always choosing that moment to sneak up on him and incapacitate him. As embarrassing as it was to admit it, he hadn't even managed to beat her _once_ in their Puppet spars so far, _not even one damned time_.

Chiyo seemed to know what he was thinking, because she was giving him that mischievous smile again. The smile that said 'I know what you're thinking' and drove him _nuts_. Why couldn't she be nice and senile like _normal_ people her age?

…..Nah, that'd just be boring. Is she was senile then there was no way he'd work up the nerve to pull so many pranks on her. He was still riding off the high he got from her reaction to first meeting Kunou. You'd never think seeing an old hag cry could be so much fun.

His reminiscing was stopped as Chiyo kicked some sand into his face, getting a yelped "Hey" out of him as he tried to move his eyes away.

"I know what you're thinking you little brat!"

Dammit, could he keep _anything_ from this crazy old hag?

oOoOoOoOo

"I'm telling you, the old hag is a damn mind reader! She literally knows _whenever_ I'm remembering the pranks I've played on her."

Shira was shaking his head at him, disbelieving. "That can't be right. She must just be good at reading you."

Tetsuo groaned. "I'm telling you she's gotta be _psychic_. You can't be thinking I'm _really_ that easy to read. Gaara, back me up."

Gaara just kept drinking from his canteen. "Staying out of this."

Tetsuo groaned at that. Honestly, he was happy that Gaara was starting to get more comfortable with these kinds of conversations, he used to practically retreat into his own clothes like a shell whenever he was referred to by name and asked to join in, but could it really hurt for him to join in? "Come on, Sandy, you've met the hag like Tetsuo has, you gotta know there's something up with her."

"That's why I'm not talking about her. She might be listening in right now for all we know."

Tetsuo almost responded before Gaara's words actually registered, causing him to slowly and carefully shut his mouth. Could she _really_ be doing that? She was definitely stealthy enough but….no, no way. Why would she waste her time following him around like that while he was out and about? She wasn't _that_ much of a troll.

Right?

He couldn't keep himself from looking around and checking for her. He knew _logically_ that she couldn't just be lurking in every shadow, but something in the back of his mind couldn't stop saying differently. Maybe the old bat had traumatized him more than he'd thought.

Someone scoffed, "What a joke."

Flinching slightly at the chill in the voice, Tetsuo turned to the speaker, Kunou. It'd been a little over two months since he'd met her with Gaara and introduced her to Chiyo, but the girl didn't seem to have really gotten any better. In fact, she actually seemed to just be getting colder to him and the others, trying to keep her distance from them.

He shook his head at the thought, dismissing it. Of course she'd have some trouble adapting, things had changed for her pretty quickly. But even with that in mind, she seemed to be actively trying to push them away. What was up with her?

Shira seemed to catch that little tidbit too, narrowing his eyes at the tone in her voice. "What's a joke?"

Kunou glared at him. "It's a _joke_ that you're still keeping this act up."

Now it was Gaara's turn to be confused, looking at Kunou questioningly. "What are you talking about?"

The girl just clenched her hand into a fist, looking for all the world like she wanted to hit something. "Don't play dumb with me! You think you're the first people who tried this on me? Because you're not."

Tetsuo rolled his eyes. "Why the hell would someone go through all that damn trouble just to kick you back out? If you don't like hanging out with us, then why are you _still here_?"

She growled at him. Frankly, this wasn't all that surprising anymore. She didn't get like this too often, but for some reason, Kunou tended to get really hostile towards them, like she was just daring them to exclude her. But no matter how nasty she got, she never really _left_.

More importantly, she just let an important clue slip out. That little comment about them _not being the first people_ to try something like this on her, whatever _this_ was. He had some suspicions, but maybe he could get something more concrete out of her with a bit of a push. "If you've got something to say, you can just _say it already_ , because you're really not making any sense."

' _Oh, if looks could kill._ ' Seriously, she was practically glaring red hot kunai at him right now. Gaara was currently backing away slightly, seeming to shiver in nervousness from the suddenly heated atmosphere. Shire walked up and put a reassuring hand on the boys shoulder as a gesture of support, nodding Tetsuo's way as a confirmation that he'd have backup if things went south. Good ol' Shira.

Kunou didn't stop glaring for a good few minutes, as if she was trying to see if it was possible to murder someone with her eyes, but she gradually seemed to calm down a little. After she gave up trying to glare him to death, though, she seemed to start getting nervous, like she wasn't really sure how to proceed. Maybe she didn't want things to get this bad? She certainly seemed to be regretting her previous hostility, he was pretty sure of that.

But there was no taking it back now, there was only going forward, and after a moment of almost panicked searching for a way to back out, she let out a resigned sigh and gave in to the inevitable.

"Did any of you guys wonder where I came from?"

Where she came from? What did that have to do with this? "Not really. Why?"

She averted her eyes from him, turning her face quickly to the side. She moved fast, but not quite fast enough for him not to see the flash on emotion on her face. Shame.

"You've probably already guessed it, but I'm not from around here. My mother was a foreigner that lived somewhere on the border."

' _Was?_ ' Did that mean her mom was dead? He also noted that she didn't mention her father yet, so where exactly was this leading? Being born outside the Land of Wind wasn't all that notable, Chiyo told him herself that she and her own brother were brought to the Hidden Sand Village as children instead of being born in it.

"What else?" he asked, certain this couldn't be everything.

That was when Kunou seemed to get _really_ uncomfortable, twitching slightly and fidgeting in place, looking everywhere except in his eyes. "She was caught in a raid. During the last war. I'm the result."

…Oooooooh. Yeah, _now_ he got it. Judging from the slight shock on Shira's face, he seemed to get it too. Gaara didn't seem to catch on, but that was probably for the best. 7 year olds shouldn't know about stuff like…. _that_.

"So…." He paused, trying to find the right words. Filing, he decided to, true to form, take the blunt route. "I take it that's why you're not good with people?"

Her sudden glare told him that wasn't the best choice of words. "Me? No, it's why everyone _else_ has a problem with _ME_!" She went through a brief moment of hyperventilation after her near shout, getting herself back under control. "That's why my own mom _left_ me here. It's why I can't even join the damn Academy and had to learn what I know from trial and error. It's why people play jokes like _this_ on me all the damn time. So why the hell don't you just _quit the act already!_ "

She breathed out in huffs after the exclamation, her temper running its course and finally leaving her drained. But she didn't really look as hostile right now, just….resigned. Maybe she was really hoping that it was real this time instead of a prank like she'd gotten from everyone else. Must've been pretty nerve wracking, looking for any signs that Tetsuo and the others had just been messing with her only to see it could very well be real. She was hostile because she didn't want to get her own hopes up too much and think it was real only for it to fall apart.

Well, that just wouldn't do.

"So, you're pretty much saying you're some kinda misfit?"

Shira slapped his palm onto his forehead so hard that the Kazekage could probably hear it from up in his tower, with even the socially awkward Gaara letting out a groan at his choice of words.

But Kunou still seemed resigned, not even bothering to deny it somehow. Her posture just slumped slightly and she nodded at him, waiting for this to fall apart.

Wow. She _really_ didn't know him too well, did she?

"All the more reason to keep you around then."

The words didn't hit her for a moment, just rolling off her like water. After a few seconds of silence, though, she suddenly went still and looked up at him with obvious shock in her eyes. "What did you say?"

He just smiled at her. "Come on, you _really_ think we're gonna kick you out because of something like that?"

"I-I….."

"Listen, Kunou, we're not gonna kick you out of our little _club_ just because you're some kinda misfit, that'd be stupid." He opened his arms in a grand and dramatic gesture, emphasizing his point. "I mean, come on! We're all misfits."

Gaara and Shira both let out an echoed and offended "hey", prompting a challenging look from him before it was replaced with another one of his trademark grins and he turned back to Kunou. "Seriously, can you imagine a stranger crew than this?"

He walked over to his two male friends, getting behind them and placing a hand on each of their shoulders. Patting Shira, he said "Shira here is a guy who wants to be a Ninja, but absolutely _SUCKS_ at Ninjutsu and Genjutsu so much that he isn't allowed to join the Academy."

He studiously ignored how Shira's eyebrow seemed to twitch at his comment, instead patting Gaara on the shoulder and continuing with his little speech. "Gaara here is Shukaku's Jinchūriki, meaning pretty much _everybody_ in the village is scared enough to piss in terror if he so much as says hello." He suppressed a yelp as he felt the little redhead finch some of the skin on his arm and give a light twist. At least Gaara was starting to react to his teasing, a definite improvement over before.

Kunou, for her part, didn't seem to know _how_ to react to what he was saying. The stumped look on her face was actually kinda cute, she should really stop scowling so much. Well, time to reel it in.

Taking his hands back from the two guys, he folded his fingers and pointed his thumbs at himself. "And then there's me. An orphan from the border who saw his family murdered and his whole home village burned to the ground, lived as a young vagabond and street performer for a bit, got adopted by some crazy old lady on a bet and is currently learning the tricks of the Puppeteering trade. Tell me if _that_ isn't a mouthful."

He let his arms go back down to his sides, the smile never leaving his face. "So _seriously_ , Kunou, do you really think we've got _anything_ to say about how you wouldn't fit in with us? We're misfits like you, so what kinda complaint could _we_ have about having someone with your past hanging around?"

Oh, the look on her face was priceless. Sure, he really meant what he'd said to her. They really _didn't_ have any right to exclude her based on being an outcast of some kind, and he personally wasn't interested in it anyway, but that didn't really change how deeply _satisfying_ it was to see looks of complete and genuine shock on someone's face. Seriously, she looked like he'd suddenly decided to strip his clothes off, cover himself in paint and streak naked around the village. Expressions like that were _always_ so fun to get from people.

oOoOoOoOo Kunou oOoOoOoOo

' _Did her really just say that?_ '

Seriously, _did_ he? Did he really just call himself a misfit? Did he really just call his two friends misfits? Out of every act she'd been taken into before, this was definitely the weirdest by _far_.

Unless, of course, this wasn't really an act. Unless it was _real_. Nobody else had ever tried to keep the charade going on this long before, ever went this far. Was she just being paranoid the whole time? Not really seeing that they were being serious?

She couldn't help it, she _laughed_. For the first time in years, she _really_ laughed. Not a chuckle or a snicker, but full blown and real _laughter_.

It actually felt pretty good.

She wasn't sure how long it lasted, but Tetsuo's two friends were looking at her weirdly after she finally came back down from it. Tetsuo, on the other hand, was just giving her that _infuriating_ smile of his. The one that made you somehow want to punch his teeth in and smile with him at the same time. Bastard.

"You're such an idiot." The words just slipped out of her mouth, completely unbidden, but they somehow didn't come out cold or sharp like they usually did.

Tetsuo's smile just got a little wider. "Yeah. But I'm

Tetsuo's smile just got a little wider. "Yeah. But I'm _your_ idiot. I'm also Gaara's idiot, Shira's idiot, Chiyo's idiot, Ebizō's idiot, Rasa's idiot-"

Gaara rolled his eyes. "So you're saying you're the village idiot."

"Exa- wait," Tetsuo looked at the little redhead, beaming at him. "Did you just make your first zinger?"

Gaara's eyes widened in horror, clapping his hands over his mouth.

Tetsuo just smiled even more.

She shook her head at the scene in front of her, incredulous that a couple of nuts like this were even real. Who the hell called himself a misfit?

…..' _Still, maybe these guys won't be so bad._ '

oOoOoOoOo Tetsuo oOoOoOoOo

(One Month Later)

Slowly and carefully, Tetsuo applied the ink to his new Seal.

Anyone who thought Sealing was just memorizing and copying basic arrays to write down later was a damned idiot, that was something Tetsuo believed with a fucking passion. Seals were more than just static patterns, each Seal was a result of days, if not weeks or more time, of research and trouble shooting in theory and execution. Efficiency and focus both pushed to the limit to make every detail just right, lest it literally blow up in your face.

That caution went for at least _double_ if you were making each Seal as part of a larger network, needing to put them in perfect placement to make sure they didn't interfere with each other during activation. And it went _triple_ if each different Seal had a separate function. And it all meant _nothing_ if you somehow got the Seals wrong, even just a tiny detail, and had to restart the whole thing.

It was, in short, _very_ hard and nerve wracking.

And he still wouldn't take any of that training back. Because here and now, he was making his first step towards something with all his training that would become his trump card. Something that he could design and really call _his own_. This would become his first real step on the path to becoming a force to be reckoned with.

It was only his calm and self-control that kept him from accidentally ruining the Seal as he heard a knock on his door. "Yeah?"

"Tetsuo," it was Kunou. What was she doing outside his room? "Chiyo sent me to tell you dinner's ready."

Dinner? Had he really been working on this for that long? Checking the nearby clock, he'd discovered that, _yes_ , he really had spent the last five hours straight working on the Seal. Time sure flew by when you were obsessed with something.

Getting up, he stretched out and heard all the barely discernable pops of his bones setting. He'd been sitting in the position for quite a while and his muscles ached slightly from the movement. Looks like he'd have to get some extra physical training tomorrow, it wouldn't do to let his body get rusty.

"I'm coming." He answered, heading to the door.

Opening up and getting out, he was mildly surprised to actually see Kunou smiling at him. Not exactly a beaming one, but more like the smile of someone who just got the pun of a good joke. She'd been smiling more ever since that little scenario from a month ago. It was a good change.

"Something funny?"

She shook her head at him. "Nah. It's just a little weird that you've been working on that little project so much and you _still_ won't say what it is."

He folded his arms as he followed her down the hall. "That's because it's supposed to be a _secret_ project. I wanna make it on my own, but Chiyo would definitely try to get involved if she knew what I was doing. And she _always_ knows what I tell _anyone_. I don't know how, but she does."

Kunou shook her head at that. "You know it might go a little faster is she helped, right?"

"Granny won't always be around to help, especially with her age. I might as well get used to the fact of people dying."

She actually seemed to flinch a little at his blunt choice of words. "Isn't that a little harsh?"

It was Tetsuo's turn to shake his head. "Ninja only get to live long under two conditions. One, they have good luck. Two, they're just good enough to last so long. Either one is pretty rare and death dying is a constant risk. Like it or not, we're gonna be seeing people die."

"Still, even _I_ think it's pretty cynical."

"Is it technically wrong?"

Kunou just kept walking, not even bothering with an answer. Truth be told, he didn't like talking about this kind of thing either, but it's not like he was wrong or anything. Shinobi died practically every other day of the week as a matter of course, and no attempt to glorify it really changed the reality of how bloody and ruthless it was, much less how you needed to develop a stomach for murder. No point in prettying it up when it came down to cutting someone's throat open or stabbing them in the gut.

Still, it was kinda strange that nobody else his age seemed to quite grasp that. Was it just because of age in general or was there something different about him? Maybe he should talk with Chiyo about it later.

Either way, those thoughts would be given more depth later. Finishing the walk through the hall, he and Kunou entered the dining area and took their seats and dig in. They had plenty of training to do tomorrow if they wanted to keep up their pace, Kunou in particular due to her later start that he and Shira.

Eating and occasionally giving his two cents for the surrounding conversations, Tetsuo just let himself enjoy the moment with everybody. What good was life if you couldn't kick back every once in a while?

 **xXx**

Here's the newest chapter you've all waited for, I hope you find it worth the wait. I've just been kept pretty busy recently in addition to working on the chapters for my other fics, so I hope you can forgive the comparably long time.

Sorry if Kunou's backstory seemed to come out of left field, but I couldn't really think of any other way for it to really come out. As for anyone who thinks her backstory is too dark to exist in a series like Naruto, I say that the Naruto series has _always_ been dark, shockingly so, the writers are just so fucking determined to make it a Shounen series that they kept trying to gloss over what kind of world it would really be like

The Naruto series is _not_ a world of sunshine and rainbows. It's a story about a world where child soldiers are taught to risk their lives, murder, steal and lie in order to keep their own Village alive and get it to the top of the pile. It's a world where the economy keeps rolling by straddling the line between cold warfare and open conflict, where betrayal and death are the only constants of the glorified Shinobi lifestyle. In short, it would be a _hellhole_ to actually live in.

Anyway, now you've all gotten your first sights of Tetsuo's three personal Puppets, did you like them? I wanted to give each Puppet its own _feel_ , a look and armament style that made them stand apart and make them easy to remember. I've also given you all a tiny glimpse near the end of something _else_ he's working on, a really special trump card. I won't tell you all what it is, but I can definitely say it's gonna be awesome.

I'm gonna see if I can finish maybe two more chapters for this before going back to my other stories for a bit, I'm trying to keep the Chapter number for each fic roughly even as I keep writing to keep my muse alive and kicking. Let's hope the tactic works.

Please review and have a nice day!


	9. The Mind Of A Killer?

Chapter 9

 **The Mind Of A Killer?**

xXx

Tetsuo waited impatiently in the lobby, his feet swinging from the rather high seat he was in. The place was mostly empty, occupied only by the staff and two more patients. Looked like not many people were coming by today.

That was probably for the best, considering exactly what this place was. The two waiting patients quickly gave it away, each making it clear they weren't entirely there. One of them, a big man with several noticeable scars, kept breaking out in shivers every minute or so, his eyes going distant as he perceived things unseen by everyone else in the room. The second was noticeably leaner, the _forced_ kind you saw from deliberate undereating or attempted starvation. Looks like they both had some demons.

Not too surprising, considering this was a psych clinic for Shinobi.

This was the kinda stuff they never taught in the Academy, or so Chiyo personally told him. The Shinobi lifestyle wasn't anywhere near as glamorous as many young Ninja wannabe's seemed to think, it wasn't about great battles that would go down in history or inspiring your own people or anything so grand. The truth was both much simpler and more terrifying.

It was about murder. Death. It was about lying, stealing, sabotaging and killing to put your own village at the top of the pile. It involved more unsavory things than Tetsuo was sure he'd ever know, and Chiyo told him herself that not ALL of it was directed outward. That meant doing a lot of work that could leave somebody with all of the associated trauma, and a traumatized Shinobi could be just as dangerous to his own side as he was towards the enemy. That was what this clinic was for, to keep them from breaking down from their own nightmares.

' _Which still doesn't explain why I'm here._ '

Seriously, why _was_ he here? It had been roughly a week since he'd told Chiyo about his concerns, about why everyone else his age seemed so disturbed at the thought of people dying. If anything, she seemed convinced there was something up with _him_! How was there something wrong with him? Killing was a part of life for Shinobi around the world, not being shocked or disturbed by death was just a good quality for this line of work. Against his suggestions otherwise, she arranged for him to come here for a psych evaluation to get his head worked out.

So here he was, waiting for someone to call him in and get this all over with so he could get back to training and his…special project. It was still a ways from being completed, but he was making good progress on it, not to mention how his skills with his Water Echo Jutsu were improving his power over his Chakra Element. He had already thought up some other Water Style Ninjutsu to experiment with, but he couldn't get back to it until _this_ was done with.

So he waited. Waited until someone _finally_ called him in and this would be over.

"Tetsuo? Is there someone named Tetsuo here?"

He perked up at the sound of his name and got out of his chair. ' _Finally._ '

Heading to the source of the voice, he noticed that the call came from someone he'd _never_ associate with a Doctor. A tall man with a noticeable tan, he was hearty and _extremely_ muscular, his forearms probably thicker all around than Tetsuo's own head. His outfit wasn't really standard medical attire, either, consisting of bandage wrappings around his arms and legs, specifically from his hands to forearms and ankles to knees. At least Tetsuo _assumed_ it was to the knees, he couldn't see them beyond the white hakama he wore, worn at the edges from use and up to his shins. His upper body was just as muscular, barely fitting into the sleeveless white dougi and brown vest he wore, topped off with some kind of white bandana that tied over the top of his head. Seriously, this guy looked more like a Heavyweight body builder than some kinda shrink, even with the clipboard in his right hand.

That notion flew out the window when Tetsuo got a good look at the man's eyes. Sharp and focused, his eyes honed in on him as he walked forward, darting over him for any tells and analyzing whatever stood out. Tetsuo was momentarily curious about what the old man may have found, but he discarded the thought. It wasn't really all that important, he was confident there was nothing too serious.

"You're the patient?"

Tetsuo nodded. "That's me."

The doctor stared at him for a moment, some combination of confusion and curiosity in his eyes. "You're so young, though. Why would you be here?"

The Puppeteer shrugged in reply. "No idea. Guess that's what I'm here to find out. The name's Tetsuo, so you're Doctor…"

"Oh, you can just call me Anji. Anji Yūkyūzan"

oOoOoOoOo Anji Yūkyūzan oOoOoOoOo

Walking through the halls with the boy beside him, Anji couldn't help but think of the oddity that this meeting really was. He'd been told ahead of time that this arrangement was no joke, that the person in question was someone in definite need of mental evaluation. Anji took his job _very_ seriously and was mildly offended that they'd think he'd give this any less than his full attention.

That was before he saw _who_ he was supposed to be evaluating. He'd done many cases over the years, some of them quite notable, but he was quite sure this was the first time he'd had a patient that was so….. _young_.

"So, any reason you're built like a world class weightlifter?"

It was also the first time he'd ever had a patient that asked so many questions.

 _Sigh_. "Because many of the more unstable patients here can get rather physical when they snap. The Chakra Blocking Seals we've placed may keep them from using their Chakra in any meaningful capacity, but they can still fight bare-handed."

The boy behind him was silent at that for a moment, but only a moment. "So _that's_ what they put on my neck when I walked in."

Anji nodded at his deduction. "It's a policy that all patients, whether for a short visit or otherwise, have that Seal put on them. Don't worry, it can be taken off with just a brief sequence of Hand Signs. It'll be removed once your visit is done."

"Actually, I was wondering if I could get the schematics."

Anji almost stumbled at that, taking a moment to look back at the boy. "Why would you want the schematics for the Seal?"

Tetsuo looked at him like he'd just asked him the stupidest question in the world. "It's a Seal that can block someone's Chakra, that's why. I'm already learning Seals, so it would be a good addition. Sealing off an enemy's Chakra in a fight could be a big game changer."

' _He's learning Seals already?_ ' That was rather peculiar. Most people didn't bother learning until they were at least a Chūnin, and reports told him this boy was only old enough to be just out of the Academy.

Anji just kept walking at the revelation. It was surprising, but not a particularly necessary factor for this meeting. "I'm afraid that's out of my jurisdiction, you'd have to bring it up with the Kazekage."

"Fair enough."

They were silent the rest of the way, walking through the hallways of the building to Anji's consultation room. They passed by a few other occupied rooms, hearing the people talking inside and largely ignoring them. What went on in these rooms was private and confidential, not something to spread around like gossip.

"Here we are," Anji absently commented, reaching the door to his designated room. Opening it up, the room was shown with its usual minor accommodations. Beyond a pair of comfortable couches, a window, and a plant for some aesthetics, the room may as well have been empty. It was partially out of design, the simple atmosphere was meant to be calming and stable, a way to keep the more traumatized patients from seeing or experiencing anything that could act as a trigger. Also, a lack of excess objects would give someone having a breakdown less things to use as a weapon.

Judging from the analyzing look on Tetsuo's face, the boy seemed to pick that up on his own. Looks like he was a sharp one.

Gesturing for Tetsuo to take a seat on the couch opposite of him, Anji sat down and readied his clipboard, taking out a pen to take notes. "Do you know why you're here?"

The boy just rolled his eyes. "No idea. Isn't that why _you're_ here?"

' _Sarcasm. A defense mechanism? Or just a normal response?_ ' He jotted it down as a note even as the thoughts formed in his mind, the result of long practice and work. One of the reasons he was considered one of the best in the clinic. "No need to be hostile, I'm just asking you a question."

The boy sighed. "Sorry, this just seems kinda….. _silly_ to me. I don't get why Chiyo thinks I should be here at all."

"Many people don't. This meeting is to find out. So, how did this start? What was the cause of you being sent here?"

The boy rubbed the back of his neck, probably a nervous tick. Anji noticed it and made a mental note to watch and see if it was consistent. "Well, I'm actually Chiyo's apprentice." Anji nodded at that, he'd already been told. "We went on a mission together a while ago, just something at the border. There was this little border village being raided by some Rogue Ninja."

Anji raised an eyebrow at that. "Rogue Ninja? Aren't you a little young for something like that?"

The boy shrugged. "Younger kids have been sent out to do it before. Besides, we didn't know they were Rogue Ninja at the time, we were told by the mission notice that it was just some bandits. The old hag thought it would be a good field test to see how I handled some pressure in the field."

Anji's pen worked furiously, putting down everything he considered relevant to the situation. He was actually putting down more than he'd thought he would. The boy's explanation didn't seem odd on the surface, but there were some things that stood out to him.

Particularly how laid back he was about the concept of people actually dying. No matter how you sliced it, that just wasn't _normal_ for children his age, whether or not they were being trained as Shinobi. The fact that he was so blasé about it was a little worrying. "Why did she bring you along? Was there anything in particular?"

The boy answered by raising a hand and shrouding it in a greenish glow. Medical Chakra, Anji realized. "There were a lot of injuries from the attacks. Not lethal, at least not for all of them, but bad enough to be crippling if they weren't handled quickly. She probably figured it was good practice for me, working on real injuries that were bigger than bruises and light scrapes."

"Can you tell me some of the injuries?"

The boy's eyes went unfocused a bit, drawing up the memories. "Lots of cuts, some of them pretty deep. One guy also got some of his fingers cut off, but I reattached them pretty easily. Some broken or fractured bones, someone had an eye missing that I couldn't fix, a couple of them had internal bleeding or hemorrhages. All in all, nothing I couldn't fix"

Now _that_ was interesting. Not the boy's Medical skills, but the fact that he seemed so undisturbed by the presence of so many graphic and potentially significant injuries. That _definitely_ wasn't normal in someone his age. Children were supposed to find those kinds of injuries frightening, not something to be talked about so calmly, but this boy was dismissing them as if they were barely notable.

' _I think I'm starting to see why he was given an appointment._ '

"The injuries didn't bother you at all?"

The boy seemed a little confused at the question. "Why would they? I've seen worse, and I'm gonna see more. Might as well be used to it."

He was…..disturbingly calm about that. Anji hadn't really gone through the mission report as suggested, such an approach tended to cause a preexisting bias or slant to the events, but now he was starting to wonder if it could've shed some more light on the event. Either way, their first brush with real injury tended to be a rather traumatizing thing, not so easily brushed off. "Anything else happen?"

"I killed somebody."

Anji stopped writing, slowly bringing his eyes up to meet Tetsuo's gaze. "Excuse me?"

The boy shrugged. "One of the Rogue Ninja got away from the old hag and attacked the village. He killed one of the sentries and I had to kill him." He smiled, unsettling. "I started pelting him with shuriken and kunai, bastard didn't notice they were attached to Chakra Threads until he was already a porcupine when they flew at him off the ground. The look on his face was priceless."

Anji just listened calmly through the explanation, absently taking more notes as he carefully observed the boy's every expression, every inflection and tick.

Nothing.

He saw absolutely _nothing_ in the boy to imply any remorse or discomfort with the current subject. He didn't falter as he spoke, didn't change his tone, didn't avert his eyes or become solemn as he spoke of his first kill, no signs at all. He even _joked_ about his first kill, that was _not_ normal behavior in someone so young. This was behavior that would only be associated with experienced killers, at least a Ninja of the Chūnin rank, and he was seeing it in a _Genin_.

"I see," he said slowly, making sure to write down everything he learned. This _definitely_ warranted further study. "Do you mind if I ask something more personal?" he asked.

Another shrug. "Shoot."

"What do you do in your spare time?"

The patient blinked at him, uncomprehending. "What does that have to do with this?"

"I'm trying to get a better grasp of you, that's easier if I know what you're doing outside of training or work."

The boy took a moment to process that, nodding to him once it sank in. "Well, I don't really do much for my free time besides train. Working on Seals, modifying my Puppets, practicing my Ninjutsu and Water Element. I also mix in some Taijutsu training and physical conditioning when I can, and Chiyo gives me tests for information gathering practice. I might take a day off or two, but mostly I'm just using it as more time to work on my skills."

A very distinct drive for training even during time off and an aversion to relaxation. It wasn't a bad quality, but, once again, it wasn't common for people Tetsuo's age. Drive like that was rare outside of Shinobi that had spent years in the lifestyle, so why was he pushing himself so much? "What do you do when not really training? Any hobbies? Games you like to play?"

"I kinda like messing with people."

Anji raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Getting rises outta them. It's really fun just trolling people to see what kinda faces they make. Mostly just wordplay, but I also do some psychological stuff. You should've seen how Chiyo acted when I brought my friend Kunou home, she laid down on the ground and started acting like a baby with a tantrum. It was _so_ much fun to watch it happen. There's nothing better than seeing someone dancing to your own music without even knowing it."

Manipulative and with a fondness for thrills via stimulation from others. Not necessarily malicious, more mischievous than anything, but still not normal behavior. More and more, Anji was being further convinced that this appointment was much more necessary than he'd thought. "Anything else?"

oOoOoOoOo 20 Minutes Later oOoOoOoOo

The meeting over, Anji escorted the young patient through the halls back to the waiting room of the clinic. He asked again about the Seals, but Anji could only repeat his earlier statement. Tetsuo actually seemed a little disappointed at that, muttering to himself as he walked out and headed back home.

With his part done, Anji headed back to his assigned room and looked over his notes. All in all, the appointment had been a full success, even rather informative.

The problem was that very _little_ of the information had been particularly good in regards to his psyche.

A casual observer would probably consider young Tetsuo an oddity, a child that was strangely mature for his age and possessing humor that was out of place for someone so young. Driven to succeed and with a budding degree of charisma, he was sure the Academy would've considered him a prodigy in the making. And Anji couldn't even deny that, the boy showed _great_ potential as a Shinobi.

It was everything _else_ he was worried about.

Tetsuo showed himself to be….. _disturbingly_ open to violet means to achieve an objective, and not the kind of childish violence you'd see in a playground scuffle. He was open to _real_ violence as a means to an end, open to _murder_ as a valid tactic to attain what he wanted. Anji had even asked him some hypotheticals for him to solve. Tetsuo always took the time to see over his options, but whenever murder proved to be the most efficient option for success, he took it without a moment to consider the lives involved.

He also showed himself to be a natural manipulator, at least from his own recounting of his interactions with others. He seemed to be a natural at reading people, at finding out what made them tick, and using it to get what he wanted. He didn't even seem entirely aware of it, only noting his own skill in passing, but just like his regard to violence and killing before, he showed a perfect willingness to use it.

Lastly, he seemed to possess a rather high opinion of himself. Not just self-confidence, but the fact that he seemed to hold himself to a rather high standard of capability. The fact that he actually did a rather good job of living up to it seemed to even make it a little worse. It was likely that this would continue, given his rather astonishing growth rate over a period of merely six years.

All in all, the boy showed a number of traits that Anji recognized as being the signs of a budding psychopath. He didn't have enough information on the boy's past to see how far back it went, but he believed it was connected to the destruction of his old home. It wasn't at all unusual for such experiences to have long term and traumatizing consequences on a young child's mind. The fact that he'd survived such a traumatizing event and essentially being an orphan on the street for some time afterward couldn't have been good for him. The boy probably would've been kicked out of any training program in the academy the moment they formed up a psych report on him and Anji would've immediately agreed.

At least, that was what he had thought of the boy at first.

Make no mistake, it wasn't exactly a positive report, but Anji prided himself on his attention to detail and he had showed it here. While he couldn't say Tetsuo had an _entirely_ healthy mindset, he'd still picked up enough to ascertain that he was _not_ , in fact, a true psychopath. How, you ask?

By simply paying attention whenever Tetsuo spoke about the _people_ in his life.

Psychopaths, the _real_ ones, could not _**CARE**_ about people. That fact was something that couldn't be stressed enough, something that couldn't possibly be a variable. At most, they could develop some form of shallow affection towards someone or something, but it would always be, at most, a possessive and selfish one, easily discarded on a whim without so much as a backward glance or a hint of remorse. They could literally know someone their whole life, sharing the ups and downs of living with them, and toss them aside like a cheap pen as if they never knew them at all. People were, at best, a form of entertainment to them.

Tetsuo did _not_ fit that description.

Oh, sure, he tried to hide it, tried to downplay it whenever possible, but Anji could tell. The fondness in his tone, the slight glint that showed in his eyes whenever he talked about them or sharing time together, _that_ was real. Anji had seen and interviewed real psychopaths and hardcore mental patients, and it was _impossible_ for them to fake that.

Bottom line, Tetsuo, for all his issues, had the capacity to genuinely care for others. It was buried underneath a great deal of cynicism and sarcasm, but it was there. Whenever he talked about his spars with Shira, about the verbal duels with Chiyo, about getting Kunou to actually crack something resembling a smile, he even showed something akin to _pride_ when he brought up Gaara coming out of his shell. You couldn't _FAKE_ that.

Granted, the situation was still somewhat precarious. While he showed himself to care about _people_ , albeit specifically, he didn't really give the impression that he cared about the Hidden Sand Village at _all_ , having no real degree of loyalty to it beyond the friends he'd made. His rather…..detached approach to violence was also another concern. While the ability to keep mentally and emotionally distant from killing was a boon to any Shinobi, it was generally something that had to be _worked_ for. It was a trait best developed over time, slowly building up a tolerance as they accepted the necessity. Not something to immediately be a part of the psychology of some _child_. A lack of aversion to the more bloody side of the Shinobi lifestyle could actually lead to problems.

Murder, no matter how you tried to describe it otherwise, was a terrible and often traumatizing thing. That was the reason it was generally avoided as a solution for every problem, ease of killing tended to result in people thinking of it as the _only_ solution needed for any problem. If the trauma of murder became nothing more severe than being associated with ordering some takeout or brushing your teeth, it was all too easy to make your own road to hell. A road built with the corpses of unnecessary kills and mortar made from their blood.

Anji would need to speak to Chiyo about this, probably arrange for more appointments to make sure Tetsuo was kept stable. The boy had yet to show any real problems on that front, but these situations were best dealt with early.

All in all, Anji would describe the boy as…..an investment. A risky one, but with the potential for a rather _substantial_ payoff. The young man had been quite vocal about the abilities he'd been developing under Chiyo's tutelage, telling him about the wide array of abilities he'd been working on. Combine it with his intelligence, skill in manipulating people, and lack of aversion to a Ninja's greatest necessary evil, and he could be a great asset one day.

Assuming, of course, that the Kazekage would allow it.

oOoOoOoOo Rasa oOoOoOoOo

The Kazekage sat and read the report in silence, the only noise encroaching upon his office was the sound of the wind outside and the sand it carried.

It had only been yesterday since he'd gotten word of Tetsuo going to the clinic for a psych report and he'd gotten a copy of the results. Some might consider such a thing to be paranoid, but nobody lasted long as a Shinobi –much less a _Kage_ \- without being more than a little paranoid. It went for double when one realized that he was keeping tabs on the closest thing his youngest son had to a friend, someone who could hold quite a bit of influence over the young Jinchūriki. Rasa had every right to want to keep an eye on him. An attitude that was apparently paying off, if Anji's discoveries regarding Tetsuo's mental state was any indication.

Really, Rasa wasn't sure if the diagnosis was a stroke of luck or a case of fate flipping him the damn bird. On one hand, the few paternal instincts he had left were _screaming_ at him to keep his son away from the boy, telling him that leaving them together couldn't _possibly_ end well. The village Jinchūriki becoming emotionally dependent on someone close to a confirmed psychopath? It was a recipe for disaster, not to mention his concern for his actual _son_.

But the thought was almost immediately discarded. As much as the revelations regarding Tetsuo's mental state may have worried him, he need merely look at the results of his interactions with Gaara to see that the contact was actually _good_ for him. His youngest son seemed…happier. He had a certain _life_ to him that wasn't there before, a little spark in his eye. By the Sage himself, he could've sworn he'd even seen him _SMILE_! If nothing else, he could be sure that Tetsuo had done wonders for Gaara's mental health.

And that conclusion came to mind before he had even finished reading. Anji himself noted that allowing Tetsuo to keep training was something of a gamble, albeit one with a potentially significant gain. Tetsuo's rather significant degree of…..let's say _talent_ for the Shinobi lifestyle could, when combined with his growing capabilities in combat, allow him to mature into an extremely potent military asset in his own right. He'd made it a point to check in on the boy's progress via Chiyo, and he was confident that his skills were already around the level of a solid Chūnin. Medical abilities potent enough to treat and heal significant injuries and wounds, a surprising degree of physical conditioning and skill for Taijutsu (however much it wasn't a focus), a knack for improvising new tactics, a growing capability in Water Style Ninjutsu (where he'd already developed the beginning of his own Jutsu, a very impressive feat for someone his age), and his Puppetry had advanced to the point where he could give _Chiyo_ , of all people, something resembling a minor challenge, regardless of whether or not she was entirely taking the duels seriously. And he was still just _12_! How skilled would he be at around _19_?

But, for all his potential, Rasa was cautious enough to know that the boy needed to be handled carefully. All the potential in the world didn't mean anything if he decided to go rogue. A rather notable possibility, considering the report made it clear that Tetsuo had almost _no_ degree of personal loyalty to the Hidden Sand itself. He settled down here because it was where he was learning to hone his skills into a Shinobi. He was staying because his friends happened to _be_ here. And he would only stay at all for as long as he actually had a link that _kept_ him here.

Not an ideal situation, but a salvageable one. The report noted that, regardless of anything else, his care for his friends was still genuine. That provided Rasa with something to keep Tetsuo in the Hidden Sand, so how could he use it?

….Seriously, was he really asking himself that question? It was obvious, just put them on a team. While it was tempting to simply keep them in the village as collateral, Rasa knew that was an approach that was almost _begging_ to blow up in his face. There was really no telling what would happen if the boy knew he was holding at least two of the people he cared about as hostages in their own home, but Rasa was sure it wouldn't end well.

On the other hand, teaming the three of them up could potentially put the other two in danger and cause him to lose two of his links to the village. He didn't really know much regarding their actual capabilities, but what he was aware of wasn't very encouraging. At least, that was before he'd taken a closer look.

Tetsuo had shown that he had absolutely _no_ skill in Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, sealing off a good two-thirds of what should be the full arsenal of any prospective Shinobi. This was an unacceptable handicap, the very thing that had kept the boy from being allowed to join the Academy in the first place. Hidden Sand was in dire straits, but lowering their standards past a certain point was like all but begging for their Shinobi forces to _implode_. They couldn't afford to spend resources in teaching people that had such a serious lack in necessary ability.

However, Rasa was starting to wonder if Shira could potentially be an exception. Taijutsu may have been the only skill available to him, but it was made clear from his own people spying that the boy was becoming _very_ capable in that specialization. The fact that he was capable of often getting the better of Tetsuo in their spars, even on the occasions that the Puppeteer in training started pulling some tricks out, made that fact quite clear.

Then there was the girl, Kunou, whom Tetsuo had suddenly added to his little circle. While she hadn't really been _forbidden_ from joining the Academy, she had been heavily discouraged by the rather significant prejudice she had endured. And yet, in spite of that difficulty, she had _still_ managed to learn some of the skills taught in the Academy through simple observation and second hand information. That showed a _frightening_ degree of focus and ability to connect the dots. She'd even managed to learn how to mold her Chakra and use the three basic Academy Jutsu through mere observation, something almost unprecedented. And that wasn't even taking into account her less than obvious abilities.

He couldn't quite put his finger on how she did it, but the girl was apparently a rather capable Sensor. She had even noticed several times when his Anbu had been following her and the others. Then there was her apparent affinity for stealth, even sneaking up on _Chiyo_ a few times.

Put simply, the potential team was an interesting one. Granted, it would largely be made as a means of keeping Tetsuo loyal, but the potential of a team with such….unusual skills wasn't exactly small.

But if that was the case, he still needed to make the formation of such a team a believable one. Rasa was the man who'd put forward the very rule that kept Shira from entering the Academy in the first place. And while he hadn't done anything to discourage Kunou, he hadn't really put out any effort to make things easier for her. So how would he put it together in a way that nobody could argue with?

…Ooh, _that_ could work.

oOoOoOoOo Tetsuo oOoOoOoOo

Tetsuo let out a pained gasp as he hit the ground, slammed down by a grapple from Shira. Damn, looks like the other boy was starting to get wise to his tricks. He'd tried to catch him by surprise by catching his legs up with Chakra Threads, but Shira shot into motion the moment he saw his hand move, unwilling to give him the time.

Nudging his head to the side and rolling away, he barely avoided the falling punch that landed where his chest was. But he did _not_ miss the slight cracking sound of the floor, showing that the punch in question would've taken him out of the spar. Flipping onto his feet, he braced himself for another charge from Shira and started thinking of any tactics he could use.

A head on fight was, as usual, out of the question for him. He'd gotten pretty good, but Shira would always have his number in Taijutsu, to say nothing of the slight size advantage Shira would likely have over him for a long time.

Using Water Style Ninjutsu also wasn't really an option, given that there was no water available. Besides that, he'd only mastered some basic Jutsu and his Water Echo, that wasn't enough to turn this fight around.

Medical Ninjutsu was also a no go, given that he hadn't really gotten skilled enough to be capable of using Chakra Scalpels in a fight yet. Even if he was, that Jutsu as still too dangerous to use in a spar. He didn't want to cripple Shira or accidentally kill him.

His Puppets would turn the fight around pretty handily, but it was an unspoken rule that he didn't use them while sparring Shira, only in Puppet duels with the old hag.

That meant improvising, something that Shira had gotten _very_ good at predicting and countering over the years. Damnit.

Further thought was stopped as Shira charged forward, bringing up a fist to hit Tetsuo in his beautiful face. ' _Oh no you don't!_ '

Quickly dodging his head to the side, Tetsuo brought a punch to Shira's gut as his opponent quickly pulled his fist and body back from the attempted blow, lessening the impact of Tetsuo's own punch.

Then, quick as he'd pulled back, Shira rushed back in. Unleashing a flurry of barely dodged or redirected punches and kicks, Tetsuo found himself being pushed back bit by bit. It was only a matter of time until he was brought against the wall of the training room, and that would mean _big_ trouble for him.

Unfortunately, Shira's offensive meant that he was stuck in a defensive rut for the moment. The other boy had the advantage in Taijutsu, Tetsuo couldn't change that, and it was reflected in their spars. He had to think of a way out of this. _FAST_!

And just before his back literally hit the wall, it came to him.

On the next punch that came to his face, his glorious and _beautiful_ face, Tetsuo didn't dodge his head out of the way. Reinforcing his skull as much as he could with his Chakra, he stared into the incoming fist, and _head-butted_ it.

….Yeah, it hurt about as much as you'd think. He was pretty sure he'd have to treat a concussion later, but it gave him his opening. Shira was so surprised by the move that he could only stare at him wide-eyed. Probably wondering just what kind of suicidal plan would require taking a hit like that.

He found out when Tetsuo rushed into his guard and wrapped his arms around him in a grapple, restricting the movement of Shira's own arms as they fell down to the ground.

Y'see, _this_ was where Shira's handicap was at its most dangerous. He didn't have any Ninjutsu or Genjutsu to force Tetsuo off of him, his only recourse was to keep on hitting, but his arms were currently constrained and rendering his attacks useless.

But Tetsuo? Well, Tetsuo had a much bigger arsenal than Shira.

He got to work before they even hit the ground, forming his Chakra into his trademark Chakra Threads and snaking them around Shira's whole body like thin ropes. Wrapping around his arms, tangling up his legs, practically trapping Shira in some kind of thin cocoon.

After a few tumbles on the ground, his friend and adversary was currently tied up like some damsel in distress. A very _masculine_ and ugly damsel in distress, but the point stood.

Keeping the Chakra Threads whole and strong from his own hands, Tetsuo rose over his opponent with his usual cocky grin. "I win."

Further commentary was cut off by a round of slow and sarcastic clapping, drawing his attention to the other two people in the training room. More specifically, his attention was drawn to Kunou, the source of the actual noise. "Wow," she commented, a grin on her own face. "Congratulations, you won the spar by taking a hit full on to your head. Great job."

He barely restrained the urge to pout at her, dismissing the Chakra Threads that held Tetsuo in place. "Well, _excuse_ me. Not everybody is as good at dodging him as you are."

Kunou shrugged dismissively, but didn't dispute the point. Seriously, Kunou might not be very good at taking hits or dishing them out, but she was _very_ good at just not getting hit in the first place. Some of her spars with Shira went on for at least a full hour because the other boy just couldn't land any real hits on her. He suspected it had something to do with her sensory abilities, but he thought it would be rude to just prod.

Ebizō spoke next. "Either way, you need to find some way to tone down these reckless tendencies of yours. Willingly taking a punch to the skull is a very desperate move that could easily cost you the fight."

Tetsuo responded by bringing a hand up to his forehead and coating it with Medical Chakra, quickly healing the injury and toning down his slightly swimming vision. "I can heal. Remember?"

Ebizō sighed at him. "You could heal it _this_ time, but Medical Ninjutsu can only go so far. You'll eventually be dealt an injury from these reckless tactics that you won't be able to heal, a result that's as good as losing the fight anyway. You can't afford to keep these bold tactics up, it's only a matter of time until you bite off more than you can chew."

He didn't bother arguing with the old man, knowing it would be pointless. It wasn't like he went for these tricks because he _liked_ them, it was because they were the only options he sometimes had at all. Sometimes the only thing you had left was to do something unconventional, and Tetsuo was perfectly willing to use that.

Any further discussion was cut off as another voice entered the fray. Chiyo's voice, to be exact.

"Alright, brats, enough playing around. Dust yourselves off, we're heading out."

' _Heading out?_ ' "Where to, old hag?" he questioned. He didn't think they had any real business in town for a while, and she didn't bring the others out on missions with him. What could she be calling them out for?

Instead of an immediate answer, Chiyo just shot him a brief smile. Not one of the smiles that showed she was about to pull something, but it still put him slightly on guard. She actually seemed to notice, because her smile got _just_ a little wider. "The Kazekage wants to see all three of you over at the Academy for a test. I expect you all to be prepared and on your best behavior." She turned from them and marched off. "And change out of those torn clothes. I swear, you look like a street urchin all over again."

A test? What would the Kazekage want to test them for? Was it just a general measurement of their abilities? Nah, he could've gotten that just by coming here to see for himself. But what else could it be for?

It was a few seconds later when the rest of her words sank in. "I do _NOT_ look like some street urchin!"

 **xXx**

Well, here's the most recent chapter for you. Sorry for the longer than usual wait, I've been kept pretty busy. Anyway, I'm gonna see if I can do another chapter for 'The Will To Power' after this, so keep an eye on it if you're reading it.

Firstly, the Anji in this chapter _IS_ that Anji from Rurouni Kenshin. Seriously, the dude is so badass I couldn't help but include him, not to mention the series is one of my absolute favorites of all time. Although Kenshin's bull about never taking a life _does_ rub me the wrong way a few times. Regardless, you can expect Anji to make more appearances later on.

Now, onto the meat of this chapter; the revelation of Tetsuo's mental state.

If you've been reading carefully, you'd probably have noticed the hints I've been sprinkling around in some of my other chapters. His skill at reading people and getting them to follow his own groove, his need for stimulation and challenges and aversion to boredom, and _especially_ his lack of any reaction to violence and death. You're probably wondering if this attitude was a result of trauma or if he was simply born this way, and I'll admit it's a bit of a combination of both.

As for _why_ I gave him such a mindset, that requires some exposition.

In Naruto, we hear so much talk about how someone wants to be a _Splendid Shinobi_ , but what does that really mean? Someone brave and courageous? Someone smart and intelligent? Something else? For the answer, let's take a look at the requirements and kind of thing a Shinobi has to realistically do.

The lie, they cheat, they steal, they deceive, they betray, and they murder. A splendid Shinobi is someone who is, underneath all the glamour, very good at all these things. Therefore, all it takes is one small leap of logic to realize that a splendid Shinobi would actually be a very _terrifying_ person. A person that wouldn't be out of place in an asylum for the criminally insane. This is something that is essentially glossed over in canon because the author wanted so badly to make just another crappy and childish Shounen series about bullshit like friendship, never giving up, forgiveness, dreams and all that other crap. A complete waste of a series that could've been so much more, in my opinion.

Tetsuo is my own spin on the theme called deconstruction. He's gonna be one _hell_ of a Shinobi, but the qualities that make him one also make him really terrifying for whoever isn't his friend or on his side. If you want an example of such a character, look up Jade Curtiss in Tales of the Abyss for a very good example of what kind of guy he is.

Make no mistake, Tetsuo isn't a strictly _bad_ guy, he cares about his friends and isn't needlessly cruel or malicious, but he's possessing a distinct willingness to cross lines that some more scrupulous people wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. Not to mention a definite sadistic streak and vindictiveness that can make him a _nightmare_ for people who sufficiently piss him off and get on his shit list. The scariest thing is that he'd probably grow up to be even _worse_ if Chiyo hadn't found him.

Why? Because this is a fic where I'm trying to portray an example of just what being a _splendid Shinobi_ really means, with a serious look at the qualities it would realistically take to be one in a world like Naruto. A version with all the sugar and sunshine and rainbows stripped away.

Anyway, that concludes the Author's Note. Please review and have a nice day!


	10. It's That Time of Year Again Time To T

Chapter 10

 **It's That Time of Year Again. Time To Traumatize Children!**

xXx

oOoOoOoOo Shira oOoOoOoOo

' _Whose bright idea was it to build a Hidden Village in the middle of a damned desert?_ '

He was being a little petty, he knew that, but it didn't really do much to dissuade him from that petulant line of thought.

The combination of sweltering heat, lack of immediate water, various venomous creatures, not to mention the rather difficult to differentiate scenery, all tended to make navigating in the deserts of the Land of Wind a risky decision at best and treacherous at worst.

Granted, that was just as much of an advantage for the Hidden Sand. Considering it was those very inhospitable qualities that made them such an unappealing target for invasion.

But right now, as Shira ran along with Tetsuo and Kunou, Chiyo taking the lead in front of them, Shira just really wanted to get out of the heat. Or at least maybe drink a little water. Hell, _anything_ to take his mind off this trekking until a breeze came along or they finally arrived at their destination.

Tetsuo, of course, was having a completely different problem. Boredom. Something he was fixing in the only way he knew how.

By being an ass.

"Are we there yet?" Tetsuo asked Chiyo for the _fifteenth_ time in a row, his face breaking out into a grin as he saw the older woman become increasingly annoyed. It was made even worse because he knew full well how far away they were from the Hidden Sand Village, having taken this same route through the desert more than his fair share of times.

' _Then again, that's probably why he's asking her anyway._ '

"No," Chiyo snarled out through clenched teeth. "Now stop asking me the same damned thing. You're driving me crazy."

Tetsuo tilted his head, expression the very picture of childish innocence. "Crazy? But Granny, you're already senile. How could you get any worse?"

At that, Chiyo came to a complete stop and rounded about, turning to face the subject of her ire with a vein visibly pulsing from her rage. "That's it!"

Their trek interrupted, Shira could only sigh as he saw Chiyo chasing Tetsuo around across the desert sands. He vaguely realized that all they needed was a recording of some funny music and they'd have a pretty good comedy scene, but he shoved that unnecessary thought into the back of his mind.

Never let yourself to get drawn into the crazy, lest you stare into the abyss long enough for it to stare right back at you. He shivered.

His momentary brush with horror was stopped when he noticed Kunou standing beside him. He was mildly proud of himself for not jumping slightly this time. It was actually a little scary just how easy it was to just….ignore her somehow. Like she just blended into the scenery until she stepped out and decided to let everyone know she was watching the whole time. "Kunou. Something up?"

The girl smiled but shook her head, the tips of her pale blond locks barely visible from under her hood. "Nah," she sighed out. "Just watching them go." And watch she did, staring at them with what seemed like a relaxed interest as a smile slowly formed on her face. "But it _can_ be pretty funny to watch sometimes."

' _Something tells me humor isn't the only reason you like watching them._ '

Shira was a straightforward type of person. He valued some degree of honesty and integrity when dealing with others, it was just how his parents had raised him. But he was _still_ a Shinobi, however unofficial. He'd studied whatever he could on his own, he'd practiced until he literally collapsed on the ground, and he'd been undergoing tutoring from Ebizō for _months_ by now. You don't get to become a Shinobi without picking up some low cunning and perceptiveness, and it was paying off for him here and now.

It was in her expression, the slight melancholic look in her eye as she watched Chiyo chasing Tetsuo around, even as her ever snappy apprentice continued to taunt and laugh at her.

She hid it well, but Kunou seemed more than a little jealous of them. Jealous of Tetsuo, to be more specific. For having a close parental figure like Chiyo whereas she herself had…well, that was probably best left undiscussed. It was _her_ past, not his, so he wasn't really in any position to draw conclusions.

Turning to see them running around, he saw that Chiyo had finally caught Tetsuo in a headlock and was now running her knuckles along his scalp for a rather harsh noogie. "Why do I think they've forgotten why we were running through here in the first place?"

He heard the slight rustle of clothing beside him than indicated Kunou had just shrugged. "Because you've got good instincts?"

oOoOoOoOo Rasa oOoOoOoOo

' _Why am I not surprised they haven't shown up, yet?_ '

It had been almost a full ten minutes after the meeting time he'd ordered to Chiyo via messenger hawk, telling her to meet him at 2:00 PM at the Ninja Training Academy of the Hidden Sand Village. A full ten minutes since he'd pre-emptively cut off classes for the day for the students and had them brought outside.

A full ten minutes _past_ the point where the people he'd _ordered_ to come to arrive, which now made it look like he'd taken the students out of their classes for no reason than to watch him glare at the Academy entrance like he'd gone mad.

Really, it was actually a little comical. He was the Kazekage, the leader of the whole of the Hidden Sand Village, the man in charge of the Shinobi forces of the Land of Wind, widely considered the strongest Ninja in the Village…..and he was having trouble controlling an old woman and three children.

Then again, that little group wasn't exactly _normal_ by any means. One of them most of all.

Either way, if they didn't show up within the next 30 seconds, Rasa mentally swore that _someone_ would pay for making him look like a fool in front of a _child audience_.

Fortunately, a break in the silence occurred barely seven seconds after that thought passed his mind. Though it wasn't as much as a _break_ in the silence as a hushed whisper, with him sensing the appearance of an ANBU appearing behind him. He didn't so much as blink. "Report."

"Lord Kazekage, our sentries have spotted them coming this way. They will arrive momentarily.

The Kazekage merely nodded in acknowledgement, still looking past the entrance of the Academy. Now if only they didn't take longer than another 20 seconds, then they _might_ be able to avoid a punishment.

oOoOoOoOo Tetsuo oOoOoOoOo

Tetsuo let out a yelp as Chiyo brought her knuckles down on his head since they'd gotten within throwing distance of the Academy entrance, not even missing a beat as they quickly changed to a walking pace. "This is all your fault, brat."

He rolled his eyes at her accusation, right hand still massaging the assaulted area of his head. "Right, it's _all_ my fault. It can't possibly be because you can't take a good joke."

Chiyo looked very tempted to bring her knuckles down onto his scalp again at that, her hand clenching several times as she seemed to think it over. But she decided against it in the end and her hand relaxed. Then she did something he found _much_ more intimidating.

She turned to him and _smiled_ in a way that almost made him literally jump back. Oh, the average person probably wouldn't find the expression very off-putting, just considering it the sweet and friendly smile of a little old lady.

But Chiyo _wasn't_ just some little old lady, a fact that Tetsuo had become very familiar with over the years. When she smiled like _that_ , it meant she had something _special_ in mind for whoever managed to piss her off.

"You just wait 'till we get back home, brat."

Her piece said, the old hag turned away from him and her expression turned back to the serious look she reserved for special appearances. The ones where it _wasn't_ appropriate for her to put up her senile old lay act to mess with everybody.

Suddenly, Tetsuo wasn't sure if he really wanted to go back home with her. If only to escape her…. _punishment_.

He couldn't hold back the shiver.

Trying to push thoughts of his imminent suffering out of his mind, he instead focused his attention forward and past the Academy threshold to see what lay within.

His interest was rather piqued by what he'd observed. After all, it wasn't exactly every day you saw every Academy Student out of classes in the middle of the day right by the Kazekage. He'd say there was probably around fifty of them or so, give or take.

It was actually a pretty small number in general, considering how many Academy Students there were at the other Hidden Villages. But then again, Chiyo had been telling him about all the cut-backs the Academy had been getting because of the current economic problems. Maybe he should be surprised the Academy was still open at all.

Given the looks on some of their faces, they all seemed just as in the dark about the reason for this as Tetsuo and his amazing sideki-friends. Not sidekicks, friends. He really needed to get that down.

But it looked like they were gonna find out the reason soon enough. The Kazekage himself, just like Chiyo had said before they'd left, was waiting for them in the courtyard of the Academy, standing in front of the many Students and secretly surrounded by a perimeter of ANBU.

Chiyo had been teaching him how to look for signs of hidden enemies, telling him just how deadly it could be to wander in without recognizing the placement of a stealthy foe. It generally came down to logic and paying attention to your surroundings: looking for potential hiding spots, watching for strange distortions around trees or rocks, paying attention to shadows that seemed out of place, listening to the telltale sounds of pressure made from hiding on a tree branch, or simply seeing things that wouldn't happen without a disturbance.

All in all, he guessed that there was roughly a dozen ANBU here right now. Shira seemed to catch onto it also, though it probably took him a bit longer to notice the signs.

Kunou, of course, probably knew how many there were _and_ where they were hidden before they even entered the Academy grounds. The smug look on her face all but confirmed it for him as he turned to make sure.

' _Showoff._ '

He didn't even recognize the irony of that thought.

His train of thought was brought to an end as the stopped walking, now standing right before the Kazekage himself in all his glory. ' _Man, he looks pissed._ '

It wasn't exactly easy to tell, considering the man seemed to take pride in having all the expressive prowess of a stone statue, but Tetsuo happened to be rather good at reading people. The slight narrowing of his eyes, the barely noticeable tension in his shoulders, the fact that he seemed to be standing so still.

Then again, he also could've just reached the conclusion based on Chiyo's reaction to seeing him. He didn't, but he could've.

"You're late," the Kage stated simply, a barely noticeable tone of annoyance in his voice as the words seemed to whisper out from behind his lips. "You were supposed to be here ten minutes ago."

It always surprised him a little how the usually blunt old hag tended to be so respectful around the Kazekage, though he _was_ essentially her boss. Guess being the man in charge meant you didn't really have to worry about getting lip from your subordinates.

Chiyo was just about to respond to him, opening her mouth to probably try and apologize to him for the tardiness or something.

…..Or _maybe_ she was gonna try and pin this _all on him_.

He whipped into action as the thought formed in his mind, raising a hand to point a finger Chiyo's way even as his trademark smile formed on his face. "That is _entirely_ her fault."

He was pretty sure the clacking sound of Chiyo's mouth slamming shut at his accusation could've been heard halfway across the Hidden Sand Village, probably even waking up any unfortunate souls that happened to be taking a nap at that very moment.

She just stood there for a moment. Silently. _Menacingly_.

Then she began to slowly turn her head, her face somehow obscured by shadows in spite of the light of day, expression somehow hidden while looking like the very visage of malice upon earth.

It was also at that very moment that Tetsuo knew how he was gonna die.

oOoOoOoOo 5 Minutes Later oOoOoOoOo

"I'm sure you are all wondering why I've called you out here today," the Kazekage stated, slowly pacing from one end of the crowd of Academy Students to the other. "Let me assure you that I haven't disrupted you curriculum today without a proper reason."

' _Oh, GOD. Get on with it already._ '

Honestly, Tetsuo didn't really get the whole attachment important people had with big speeches, but he couldn't help but find it annoying. Couldn't they just say what they wanted and get on with it? It'd save so much time.

Looking over the Academy Students, he could tell that they generally seemed to feel the same way. The ones paying attention were obviously trying hard to not let their lack of interest show, even as more than a few others weren't even trying to put up a pretense of attention at all. Quite a few of them actually took this as an opportunity to talk in whispers.

Then there was the ones who were busy staring at him and his friends, with more than a few of the looks being distinctly unfriendly. He didn't miss that the looks in question were focused almost entirely on Shira and Kunou rather than himself.

They both did an admirable job of at least _trying_ to shrug the looks off, but he could tell they were still affected by them. From the way Shira seemed to try and subtly avoid their gazes, from how Kunou seemed to studiously ignore them even as her hands clenched into fists.

Yeah…..these little punks were gonna _pay_.

"In fact, I've summoned you all from your classes today to make you an offer. A very worthwhile one, in fact. I'm quite sure you'd all be quite happy to graduate early by winning a simple challenge."

And just like that, the glares all ceased and everyone's attention was right back on the Kazekage. Why not, if what he'd just told them was really true? A chance to graduate early from the boring and dull Academy? That was something a lot of students would jump through hoops for. _Flaming_ hoops.

Which, in all honesty, kinda just showed how _un_ ready they really were. The Academy might not exactly be exciting or fun, but quite a few important parts of Ninja life wasn't fun anyway. Not to mention that there was still quite a bit of important information and teaching that these students still hadn't gotten to. Some of them were probably only a few months away from graduation, but Chiyo had done a damn thorough job of showing just how much important stuff could be crammed into a few months.

He'd put money on them dying somewhere within a week if they were really made Genin as they were now. He really would.

"Now that I've caught your interest, perhaps I can explain in more depth," Rasa continued, acting like he hadn't even noticed the change in atmosphere. "You will all be split into two separate groups, depending on your own skills in particular areas. After which, each group will be given an objective they're suited for. Achieve that objective, and your whole team will pass."

Rasa stopped pacing in front of the students and instead started purposefully striding over to Tetsuo and his little group. Looks like he called them down here for a reason after all. And here Tetsuo had thought he just wanted some more witnesses for his little speech.

The Kazekage didn't stop in front of them, instead walking right through their little group, causing Shira and Kunou to part for him. A show of status, enforcing his position as the greater party. The one in control. They moved for _him_. Not the other way around.

But the Kazekage should've learned something about him by now. Tetsuo don't submit to nobody.

That's why he made sure to move _just_ enough to let the Kazekage by, barely avoiding a light brushing against his robes of office. A little display that, if the slight narrowing of his eyes was any indication, Rasa recognized right away. Chiyo looked like she was resisting the urge to run forward and introduce her knuckles to his forehead again, Shira looked downright _scandalized_ , and Kunou seemed to be doing her best not to laugh.

The Academy Students, bless their naïve and inexperienced little souls, didn't even comprehend that he'd all but snubbed the Kazekage in front of a viewing audience. The teachers, however, certainly did. Judging from their expressions.

He was pretty sure Chiyo was gonna lecture an ear off once this was all over.

' _Worth it_.'

Now placed behind them, he turned around and let out his hands. The right was positioned by Shira, the left one by Kunou.

His hand by Shira moved first, landing on his shoulder. "The first team will be composed of the students with the greatest skills in Taijutsu and direct combat. They will be fighting this young man; Shira. You are free to use anything at your disposal short of lethal weaponry and Jutsu. Defeat him and the whole group will pass."

Then he placed his left hand on Kunou's shoulder. "The second group will be comprised of the students showing the best scores for the more subtle aspects of your classes; tracking, stealth, Genjutsu, etcetera. You will attempt to find and capture this young lady; Kunou. Succeed, and your whole group will pass."

Then Rasa took his hands off and walked towards _him_. Tetsuo didn't try to move this time as the Kazekage got right behind him, placing _both_ hands on his shoulders as he held him in place. "Afterwards, both groups will be working together to capture and subdue this young man; Tetsuo. Succeed,' he paused, letting the moment and the gravity of his offer sink in. "And _both_ groups will pass. Regardless of the success or failure concerning the previous two."

And now every Academy Student in the courtyard was looking at him and his friends like hungry, grinning predators staring at big racks of prime meat. He could almost swear that he saw some of them seeming to salivate at the opportunity, and he could kinda see why. Become Genin and leave the Academy months ahead of schedule by just beating at least one of three kids? One of whom was a practical unknown and the other two being a pair of minor pariah's? There was definitely an allure. And they definitely had numbers on their side, if nothing else.

' _Oh, isn't that just so precious? They think they actually have a chance._ '

oOoOoOoOo Shira oOoOoOoOo

Shira didn't even bother to hold back his sigh of resignation, surrounded on all sides by Academy Students practically grinning ear to ear in anticipation. Somehow he _knew_ it was gonna end up like this. Though he originally expected Tetsuo would've been involved in some way, not the Kazekage. But the day was still young, so who could really say?

Either way, after the Kazekage's announcement, the Teachers immediately began profiling all the students based on their previous performance in classes, separating the half that were best in head on combat into a large group that he was to fight. He just ignored all the taunts they sent his way, focusing on what to do in the fight to come.

He wasn't really all that worried. Frankly, Ebizō had been training him and Tetsuo thoroughly enough that he was quite confident that he'd come out of this the winner. He was more concerned about trying not to hurt them too bad, considering he was perfectly capable of partially shattering portions of boulders now. His speed and reflexes had also come a long way, so he doubted any of these Academy Students could even land a hit on him. Greater numbers was literally their _only_ advantage.

He belatedly realized just how arrogant that line of thought was, dismissing all of the opponents around him. ' _Dammit, Tetsuo is rubbing off on me._ '

Shira barely heard a comment from one of the Academy Students that had surrounded him, knocking him from his thoughts. "Huh? Did you say something?"

The student was a boy, rather noticeable with his unique features. A long and rather pointy nose, orange hair, and yellow eyes with black pupils. He also had what looked like some traditional Sand Shinobi war paint patterned on his face.

The expression on the boy's face was a condescending sneer, something that wouldn't be out of place if someone was looking down on some kind of insect. "I said, 'how does it feel to know you're gonna _lose_ Shira?'"

The Taijutsu specialist just raised an eyebrow at him. "Already thinking you've won?"

His one of many opponents scoffed. "Oh, come on. You're outnumbered around 20 to 1, and you don't have anything but Taijutsu. How the hell can we _not_ win this? It's in the bag." He gave a dismissive wave of his hand, as if tossing the possibility of losing aside.

' _That arrogance is gonna cost him_ ,' Shira noted, already having pinpointed any physical weaknesses he could use to take him don quickly. His _nose_ being chief among them, if only due to its size. One good hit there and the trauma and breathing difficulties, not to mention the possible cartilage shards getting pushed back into his head, would probably leave him in the hospital for a while.

Looking around at the other Academy Students surrounding him, Shira continued his physical sweep and examinations for exploitable weaknesses. The remains of old injuries, vulnerable joints, openings in their stances, pressure points, anything that could put an opponent down quickly.

He had to shove most of them aside, considering he wasn't trying to….well, _kill_ everyone.

It didn't escape him that they all carried the same arrogance as the one who'd just spoken to him, brimming with overconfidence and certainty of victory.

' _I stand corrected. That arrogance will cost ALL of them._ '

Taking a combat stance of his own, Shiro breathed in and out several times to get into focus, barely listening to the proctor.

"Alright, everyone, the rules are simple. All of you versus a single challenger. Everything is allowed; Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, weapons, everything that isn't immediately lethal. The fight will continue until the challenger is beaten, or everyone else is." He raised a hand into the air, held straight up. "Ready. Set." He brought his hand down fast and hard. "Go!"

Shira sped into action practically the moment the last syllable left the proctors mouth, bringing his new speed to bear and rushing straight towards his first opponent practically within an eye blink.

His opponent barely even had the time to show any surprise, his eyes widening minutely in shock right before Shira slammed an open palm straight into his nose. _HARD_!

Blood coated his palm as the crack of cartilage and a strange sounding scream of agony tore across the sparring ground, his opponent reeling back from the pain and clutching what was left of his nose.

Shira didn't let him, instead grabbing one of his hands to pull him forward and driving a knee straight into his stomach. The impact knocked out what little wind in him he had left after his previous scream, leaving him so limp that he probably wouldn't even be able to resist any further attacks at all.

So Shira decided to put him to use, hoisting him up and briefly swinging him around to slam him head-first straight into the solar plexus of an incoming enemy in his tracks.

Neither of them got back up off the ground, one of them unconscious and the other likely in incredible pain.

"Goji! Datsuji!" someone shouted in alarm, finally giving him some names for his first two victims.

' _Doesn't matter,_ ' he thought. Not much point in remembering the name of every poor schmuck he was gonna beat up today.

That thought in mind, he reflexively weaved his head to the side, dodging a punch from behind that would've hit the back of his head, following it up by driving his elbow into the center of mass of whoever tried to attack behind him.

He decided to follow it up with a quick hammer-fist to the crotch, ignoring the strangled sounding gasp of shock and pain.

He moved onto the next part of the fight, quickly moving into a group of three opponents and getting right in between them all. They barely even had time to react when he started attacking, hitting them each in areas that would quickly take them out of the fight.

The first one dropped from a low punch to the solar plexus followed by a quick uppercut as he bent over from the blow. The next was brought to his knees and cupping his nads from a knee to the crotch, then knocked out by a harsh blow to the back of the head.

The third one actually regained his wits enough to try and fight back, lashing out at him in a desperate attack. It was clumsy, panicked, easy for Shira to read his moves and easier to counter. He ended the sad debacle by grabbing an arm his opponent had extended too far out, twisting until he heard the strange combination sound of a crack and a pop that resulted from his elbow being dislocated.

He didn't even need to finish him off after that. The poor kid was on the ground crying as he clutched his arm.

He dodged to the side as the telltale whistling sound of a kunai came closer, followed by further dodging to avoid a barrage. He turned to locate the source and saw a group of five more students, each throwing out kunai, shuriken, even some senbon needles.

It did remarkably little to slow him down, dodging around the projectiles and narrowly ducking the few that got close as he closed the distance.

He disabled the first student by grabbing one of his arms and using the leverage to twist him around and have him stumble into his own group, taking two more students to the ground with him. He immediately got to work on the two still standing, bringing the first off his feet with a low sweeping kick and stomping down on his face to knock him out. The second followed soon after, dispatched with a few quick jabs to the face to daze him followed by a knockout as Shira swept out his legs and grabbed his face to…escort the back of his head to the ground on his fall back.

The other three struggling on the ground were similarly dispatched with quick heel-kicks to their heads.

There was a bit of a lull to the fighting after that, the Academy Students a looking a combination of stunned and scared as they surveyed the sparring ground. Rather, as they saw just how many of them were currently unconscious on the ground and realized that Shira had personally taken out nearly half of their whole group in less than two minutes. Two. MINUTES!

Too bad Shira wasn't interested in giving them the time to plan something out. He just charged back in, heading for the next group that consisted of four students. Take out the bigger groups first for a quick drop in numbers and keep them from coordinating. That was the strategy he was going for now that he was controlling the flow.

' _Let's see if I can beat them all in five minutes or less._ '

oOoOoOoOo Kunou oOoOoOoOo

' _Wow. This is just so SAD._ '

Really, Kunou _almost_ felt a little bad for this. It was just too easy. Hell, the students were _making_ it too easy.

Shira's part of this whole debacle had been an absolute joke. It was like watching a tiger in its prime smack around a bunch of house cats.

….Then again, that might not be the best analogy. Kunou liked house cats _much_ more than she did these stuck up little students. Certainly enough to try and save them if a tiger was really going after them.

But these kids here? The one's that had mocked her, rendered her an outcast, insulted her, the ones that had wasted no time making sure she knew she wasn't welcome or wanted at all?

Well, she was _happy_ to be the tiger if she got to smack them around.

Her part of this little incident began not long after Shira's showing, leaving all those students lying on the ground, unconscious or making keening sounds of agony. Damn softies.

In the spirit of holding to her part of the challenge, Kunou's portion was to be held outside of the Academy itself. Straight up combat wasn't the focus so much as tracking and capturing her, though fighting was certainly an element if they wanted to seriously bring her down.

It's just too bad they were so _bad_ at it.

Well, maybe not that they were actually _bad_ , considering how good she was at stealth, but that was a moot point. The point was that she'd so far evaded every attempt they had made to find and capture her, a result that was made easy with her own skills.

She opened her mind to the world around her, feeling that strange presence permeating the atmosphere and all the movements within it. She could easily tell apart the Academy Students and Ninja patrols apart from the civilians, their Chakra gave them a very distinct presence to this strange sense of hers.

Feeling another group of students get closer, she put her other power to use; cloaking her body with the atmospheric energy and refracting the light, rendering her all but invisible to the naked eye.

They passed right by her without giving her so much as a second glance.

' _Alright, now this is just getting dull._ ' This little joke of a chase had started out slow and only gotten steadily more boring as time went on. It was damned obvious none of these little Academy Students knew how to play the role of a predator.

Guess she'd just have to show them.

Keeping the cloak up, Kunou immediately channeled Chakra to her feet and began scaling the nearest wall at top speed, reaching the roof in roughly five seconds.

' _Now, let's see where you all are._ '

Spreading her senses wide, she easily pinpointed the locations of the Academy Students that were chasing her. Roughly twenty or so, given her count. Most of them were in small groups of three to five, but there were still a good couple of stragglers that were running solo. There was actually a small team nearby, though they were far enough away that she could still pick them off one by one.

She'd start with those first.

It didn't take her long to reach them, but after landing on the roof overhead of her first target of the day, she stopped. Because it looked like her first victim was someone she happened to recognize. ' _Oh. Saya._ '

A young girl roughly her age, she had long blue hair fashioned into a pair of ponytails. She was also still carrying around that weird doll of hers, obsessively as always.

Saya had been one of her more frequent tormentors in the Hidden Sand. Not that the girl had ever actively sought her out, but she never missed an opportunity to let loose a subtle insult or scathing barb whenever they'd actually encountered one another. And unlike most of them, Saya seemed to have a natural ability to pick _just_ the right words to sting the most.

She barely even felt the cold smile that crept into her expression. ' _Time for some payback._ '

Putting her stealth cloak back on, Kunou immediately headed down the side of the building, slowing her descent as she got closer to the ground until she almost stopped at her last steps. Carefully setting her feet onto the ground, she made sure not to make any disturbing noise as she prowled after her prey.

Carefully matching her steps to Saya's, Kunou slowly made her way closer. Closer. Closer. So close until she was practically breathing down the girl's _neck_ and she still hadn't noticed her presence.

And she struck.

Her first move was to wrench away that damned doll of hers, ignoring the cry of shock and outrage as it was torn from her arms and broken apart right in front of her. While Kunou found the process of destroying what as apparently an important possession rather cathartic, there was a more practical reason.

Truth be told, she'd been planning some way to get back at Saya for a while now, but had never really found the time or serious incentive to actually _do_ it. She'd just never really considered it worth the time and trouble, but that didn't mean she hadn't done her homework.

From what she'd been able to discern, Saya seemed to rely on that weird doll for some new Puppet Ninjutsu she'd developed. Kunou hadn't really been able to discern the specifics, Saya had never really showed it openly to the other students, but she could tell that removing it from the fight early would definitely be in her favor.

Which was why she was so surprised when Saya broke out into a grin and seemed to suddenly turn into sand, collapsing to the ground.

' _A trap!_ '

Sha barely managed to get out of the immediate area before feeling another two signatures moving in, making it clear that this was a set-up. Dammit, she should've known! She should've seen right away that the distance between the three signatures was _just_ enough to lure someone into a trap.

She made it out just in time, because the sandy ground seemed to collapse downward and outward like a pit of quicksand, a hole forming in the ground as the sand seemed to flow in like water. Kunou wouldn't have been able to move at all if she'd been caught in it, certainly not fast enough to actually escape any attackers.

But it didn't last very long, apparently only being a one-use Jutsu that quickly ran out of steam as it collapsed. The ground seemed slightly sunken after the trap ran its course, with barely any other sign that anything had even happened. And then her three would-be predators quickly appeared from a nearby alley.

' _No way am I falling for that again._ '

It was pretty obvious that Saya wasn't very happy with the performance, glaring at the girl whom was apparently responsible for the impromptu sandpit. "You idiot, you were supposed to _catch her_ in that! How could you have let her slip away?"

"I-I tried," the lackey said, raising her hands up with palms forward, a submissive gesture. "It was too far away for me to do it any quicker, that was as fast as I could summon it up."

Saya's face was almost red as she shrieked out " _No excuses!_ "

' _I don't know if it's comforting or not that she's not just a bitch to ME._ '

Her two little _friends_ certainly didn't seem to like her. Frankly, the actually seemed pretty damn intimidated by her, both of them cringing back with more than a little shock and fear at her loud shout.

The harpy calmed down a moment later, seeming to regain some of her composure. "No matter. This isn't over yet, and that little bitch won't get away a second time. Sana, start sensing. Where is she?"

The second girl, Sana, seemed to get _very_ uncomfortable at the question, going silent and awkwardly staring at the ground. Saya seemed to catch on, her face drawing into another glare as her little lackey didn't answer her. "Sana, why aren't you saying anything?"

The girl flinched again, visibly trying to look anywhere but Saya's eyes. She quickly gave up and relented, doing her best not to look terrified as she looked Saya head-on. "I….kinda can't."

" _WHAT!?_ " And Saya showed once again just how strong her lungs really were.

"I can't sense her," Sana frantically explained. "I only _just_ learned Sensing at all, and she's hiding herself somehow. I can't track her."

Kunou ignored Saya's little tirade about how useless her erstwhile comrade was, instead choosing to digest that information as she carefully snuck up closer. The revelation about Sana being a Sensor was interesting for two good reasons; 1) She was able to sense and track other people. 2) She was unable to track Kunou herself. The second bit of info was especially useful, given her specialty.

Now that she'd gotten a little closer, she was able to get a better look at her trio of first victims for the day. Saya she'd already known, but these two were an unknown to her, and unknowns were a dangerous thing among Shinobi.

The other girl, Sana, didn't really look like much. Just another Genin among many, but Kunou was still able to discern a few things.

For one, she didn't at all have the build of signs of someone well practiced in Taijutsu. She seemed a bit more fragile than that, so it looked like she was more versed in Ninjutsu and the more subtle aspects of Ninja abilities.

Kunou as pretty sure she could take her in a fight, given what she'd managed to learn from Ebizō, but why test that when she had surprise?

The second one was much more physically imposing, a tall guy with slightly wild black hair and eyes that were more than a little bloodshot. He was big and had the developing muscle tone of someone who focused on physical combat. She briefly wondered why he hadn't been in Shira's test instead, but discarded the thought.

He'd need to go down first. Just to make sure he wouldn't be a problem in case this little group got a little wise to her plan of attack.

Either way, it was time for her to begin.

She started with a quick series of Hand Signs, blazing through them as she let her Chakra build up and dropped her stealth field for just a moment. "Try looking over here."

They did, and the looks of shock on their faces –followed by looks of growing terror as they saw her Hand Signs- were honestly worth all the ryō in the world to her.

The following catharsis as she unleashed a toned down Wind Style: Great Breakthrough on them as worth even more, watching them all go flying from getting impacted by the sheer pressurized air.

She wasted no time in taking advantage of the opening, immediately running after the one guy of the group first.

Still stunned from her Wind Style Ninjutsu and being slammed hard against a wall from the pressure, he seemed too dazed to even notice as she reached around to her back and started pulling out a length of thin, metal wire. Slamming a quick elbow into his face to keep him dazed, she quickly twirled it around his wrists and released loops of it.

Controlling the wire with her Chakra, she had it tie around and constrict all the major joint of his body in a process that barely took three seconds. A little trick she'd developed by watching Tetsuo use his Chakra Threads.

After a good portion had wrapped around him, she _pulled_ it tight and left him hogtied, his hands kept apart so he couldn't use Hand Signs.

' _One down, two to go._ '

Taking that guy out would make the coming fight much easier. As much as Kunou didn't like to admit it, Taijutsu wasn't exactly her strong suit. Or intense physical combat in general, really. She was a Sensor and ambusher first and foremost, a strategy that played to her strengths. Granted, her spars with Shira and his basic tutoring of her was helping on that front, but she wasn't stupid enough to test that so early against an enemy that probably knew what he was doing.

Next was that Sana girl. That little sand trap of hers had almost caught her, so leaving her alone was almost _begging_ to be swallowed up by quicksand. A problem made worse by the girls own revelations making it clear that she could do so much easier and quicker up close.

So she put an Earth Style Jutsu she'd pestered out of Ebizo to use. Running up to the still stunned girl, Kunou blazed through Hand Signs and grabbed her wrists as she walked clean _through_ the wall of the building she'd slammed against, her arms completely stuck even as her hands started to flail, trying to connect and use Hand Signs.

Too bad she made sure they were too far away for that to work. Kunou wasn't gonna give _her_ any room for Hand Signs. That was like 'Ninja Capture Protocol 101'.

It had taken her quite a bit of work to get it done, practicing day in and day out for a few weeks, but she'd finally got it down. The Earth Style: Underworld Fish, a Ninjutsu that suited her almost perfectly with its ability to let her sneak along underground to strike at unsuspecting enemies. Though it worked just as well for walking through buildings that were constructed or earthy materials.

Unfortunately, she couldn't stealth her presence _and_ use that Jutsu at the same time, but it was useful nonetheless. Not to mention it was a shortcoming Kunou was sure she could find a workaround for. Jutsu of all kinds existed to be perfected after all.

Using it again to circumvent the wall she'd just walked through, Kunou dodged back as she exited to the other side, barely avoiding a swung kunai courtesy of a _pissed off_ Saya.

"You!" She swung wild again, Kunou easily dodging away. " _Little!_ " A stab attempt this time, going straight for her head. " _BITCH!_ "

Her attacks devolved into a frenzy, cuts coming from every direction. Up, down, left right, but all easily dodged. Kunou had spent time sparring with _Shira_ for crying out loud, he was _way_ faster than this stuck up priss, not to mention equally more skilled. Her moves were practically telegraphed and coming in slow motion.

' _Guess it's time to end this. I'm on a bit of a schedule._ '

After letting Saya get off another three attempted strikes for kicks, Kunou grabbed her weapon holding wrist and wrenched it, causing her opponent to let out a quick scream in pain as she put on some pressure to bring her to her knees. With her face wide open, Kunou didn't even hesitate for a moment to bring up her right leg and use her foot to slam Saya's face into the ground. _Hard_.

She went out like a light after that, her body going slack as she entered blissful unconsciousness.

Letting Saya's wrist go with a contemptuous flick, she put up her stealth cloak again and headed off for the nearest lone signature. This time making absolutely sure it was too far away for any surprises.

Don't judge. There are old Shinobi, and there are bold Shinobi. But there are no _old and bold_ Shinobi. And Kunou wanted to live to a ripe old age.

Besides, Ninja weren't _supposed_ to fight fair. It wasn't in the job description.

oOoOoOoOo Tetsuo oOoOoOoOo

' _I'm somehow getting the impression that these guys are all a little too eager to beat me up._ '

A very reasonable assumption, given that almost every remaining was currently giving Tetsuo a collective glare that would probably be able to melt ice. He'd figured they'd be pretty pissed after losing the previous two challenges against Shira and Kunou, but it looks like these idiots were even more eager to get out of the Academy early than he'd thought.

On the –relative- bright side, there was actually quite a few less students than his friends had collectively needed to deal with. Turns out that putting opponents down with often extreme physical force and prejudice didn't exactly guarantee their wellbeing. Considering some of the injuries Tetsuo had seen on the worst of them, more than a few would probably be recovering in a hospital for at least a few weeks. Unless they found someone who could heal them more immediately.

All in all, it looked like there was…..just over half of the original number of Academy Students to come after him for his own challenge.

He wasn't entirely sure if he should be disappointed or not.

"You all know your objective," Rasa spoke out. "All of you have failed to succeed in the previous tests, so this will be your last chance. All remaining Academy Students will pursue Tetsuo with the intent to subdue and capture. Succeed, and the remainder of students shall pass. Fail, and this opportunity will be revoked."

' _Wow, thanks for telling us all what you've already said before._ '

But of course he didn't actually say that out _loud_. However tempting it was to get him to hurry up and get this done with. Tetsuo just wanted nothing more than to head back home and get back to work on his special project. He had a _lot_ of time and work ahead of him, and he didn't want to shirk on it.

Fortunately, rather than choose to continue talking, Rasa just rose his arm up into a ready position. Looks like he wanted to get this show on the road, too.

After staying in place for a moment, the Kazekage brought his arm down like a sword and shouted out, "Go!"

The Academy Students rushed forward the moment Rasa had spoken, practically _throwing_ themselves against Tetsuo in a mad rush to take him down. Any thought of tactics or strategy having been thrown right out the window in favor of taking him down quick and brutal. He imagined it had to do with their significant frustration after their previous failures, not to mention desperation to succeed at this one last chance.

Too bad Tetsuo wasn't interested in giving them that chance.

It was also too bad for them that he wasn't interested in making this easy for them.

So instead of doing the stupid thing and stand his ground against the incoming tide of vengeful and desperate Academy Students, Tetsuo did the smart thing and ran. That's right, he turned tail and retreated. Really, who in their right _mind_ would intentionally take the hardest way to victory and fight everyone head on? An idiot, that's who. And Tetsuo was no idiot.

That said, he had no problems with making it a _fighting_ retreat.

He made their pursuit of him a nightmare, tripping up whoever he could with his Chakra Threads, doing hit and run against leading pursuers before continuing his retreat, tossing behind some of his homemade bombs with –comparably- harmless but very distressing effects.

Seriously, try chasing after someone while you're having a horrible case of the runs and almost shitting with every step in pursuit. It's really not fun.

…..Don't ask Tetsuo about how he found out the mix. You don't wanna know.

In short, he made sure to give them all a living hell. And that was just the start. He wasn't just turning this into a fighting retreat, it was part of a plan. A plan he'd been thinking up since Shira had gotten his first crack at these losers.

Because he didn't just want to win this. He wanted to make a _show_ of it. He wanted to make it damn clear that he was on a different level from these Academy Students, he wanted to show he was the real deal.

And most of all, he wanted to prove that to _himself_.

So the fighting retreat continued, with Tetsuo gradually whittling their numbers down with every step of the way, all while luring them to where he wanted them to go.

Something he succeeded at, luring them right past the gates of the Hidden Sand Village and straight out into the desert.

Reaching his destination, the very oasis he had often come out to train at with his friends, Tetsuo stopped running and ground to a halt on the loose sand. Calm and unshaken as the dunes of the desert he inhabited, Tetsuo immediately pulled out a Scroll and got to work on his trap.

oOoOoOoOo Ameno oOoOoOoOo

Ameno had a bad feeling about this. No, scratch that. She had a _very_ bad feeling about this.

Looking back on a few things, she could barely keep from palming her own forehead at how quickly everything had gone so wrong. How this so called opportunity had slipped through everybody's hands practically from the first minute onward.

The funniest part was that she honestly wasn't even interested in graduating early. Yes, she was eager to become a full-fledged Ninja and do her part for her home. She was proud of having that opportunity, but that didn't mean she was interested in _rushing_ anything.

Unlike many of her more straightforward classmates, Ameno actually tended to look in-between the lines of their lessons. It was a quality that tended to set her apart in more ways than one, but it had helped her quite a bit since she joined the Academy. And what she'd managed to glean from quite a few of the subtext and unsaid meanings over her time studying was that rushing in to be a Shinobi recklessly could very easily get you killed.

But she couldn't have backed out of this without looking like a coward. So she decided to approach this the only way she knew. By reading between the lines and planning. From watching Shira decimate everyone during his own challenge to her personal involvement in Kunou's methodical hunting of everyone else. All that time analyzing their capabilities and seeing just how good they were, just how far ahead of her class they were.

Needless to say, the end picture wasn't very encouraging. It was painfully clear that they were all out of their league in this, a matter made worse by an almost complete lack of coordination between all the students against their opponents.

But maybe, just _maybe_ , they could have a chance if they all managed to coordinate into a cohesive offensive framework. Syncing their attacks and defense to keep their final opponent from being able to get into his own rhythm.

It didn't take much convincing to get the remaining students on her side, they were all so desperate to win and terrified of the looming loss that they quickly agreed to follow her lead. After all, just how strong was the _final_ member of this test going to be?

She'd originally intended to surround him from all sides and alternate melee waves with constant bombardment with ranged weaponry, but that plan went out the window the moment he turned tail and ran. Not only was he fast enough to keep beyond their reach, he was also making their pursuit of him a living hell, taking out almost a quarter of their numbers during the chase.

It had honestly looked like they'd lost him until they exited the Hidden Sand Village through the gates, following a sudden trail into the desert outside. They had lost any and all other leads or trails to follow, so they had little choice but to take it and head out. And that was when they spotted him, standing alone out in the desert sands by a small oasis outside the walls. Taking the opportunity without a second thought, they proceeded to form up around him in a circular formation as originally planned out.

And he didn't even resist. Not even a single _twitch_.

' _And now that we finally have him surrounded like originally planned, I somehow feel like WE'RE the ones trapped._ '

She wasn't the only one feeling the tension, either. _Everyone_ seemed to have gotten very tense once Tetsuo had been surrounded without showing any hint of concern, just looking over them all with a cocky and unconcerned grin, as if they weren't even a threat to him at all.

' _He must've planned something. But WHAT?_ '

Then he spoke. "You all get one chance," he said, his sudden interjection in the tense silence coming out as loud and disruptive as a sudden shout. "I'm gonna give you all _one_ opportunity to just walk away. Just give up on this little joke of a test and go back to the Academy, and I won't need to embarrass you any more than I already have. Waddya say?"

Unsurprisingly, he didn't receive an answer. Not just because they were all uninterested in taking up his offer, mind you, but also because…well, because the whole thing just seemed so _ridiculous_. After all the pain and trouble he'd put them through, after finally coming so close to catching him, when they had _literally_ surrounded him from all sides, were _any_ of them interested in essentially surrendering to him?

So she really wasn't all that shocked when someone decided to answer by just throwing a kunai at him, angled _just_ so that it would graze his cheek. He dodged it right at the last moment, but his frown made it clear that the message had been received.

He shrugged. "Oh well, I tried."

Then he disappeared in a puff of smoke that revealed they'd been talking to a _Clone_ the whole time.

That was when everything went to hell. When large pockets of sand seemed to explode upward into the air, blinding everyone present and immediately making coordination all but impossible. He had lured them right into a trap.

And then the screaming started. One at a time at first, but then quickly growing into multiple people screaming and shouting at the top of their lungs in fright and shock. Exclamations like "What the hell!" and "Monsters!" or "What are these things!?" filling the air, even as they were immediately silenced.

But more than all the screams, beyond all the sounds of fear and panic, she heard that infernal _clacking_ sound. Like the demented song of wood on wood. With shadows seeming to shift around in the sand, barely visible at all through the great cloud, leaving screams and sudden silence in their wake.

Then a face appeared to her in the cloud of sand, one that would stay with her in her nightmares for some years to come.

It was humanoid, if in a way that was somehow a mockery of a living human being. Its features seeming _wrong_ somehow, as if it was designed with a person in mind and then intentionally twisted into something decidedly inhuman; with cheekbones too long and thin, angles of the facial bones too sharp, with the eyes spaced oddly apart, it looked like a crude imitation.

It barely took her a second to realize it was made entirely of wood. Then another second for her to realize it was attached to a humanoid body with an extra pair of arms and further attached to at the waist to the long body of a giant wooden snake.

Then it struck and she knew no more.

oOoOoOoOo Tetsuo oOoOoOoOo

It was barely five minutes after Tetsuo's showing and he really just wanted to head home. It was over now, right? He and his friends had handed everybody else their asses on a platter, so there wasn't much of a reason for them to stick around anymore. Their part in this little escapade had ended.

Unfortunately, the Kazekage seemed to have a different idea. Because rather than just allow them all to go their separate ways and let the Academy Students run off to lick their wounds, he'd called not only Tetsuo and his friends over to the Academy where everything had started, but all the remaining students that were still conscious.

He barely bothered to give them all a second glance. They'd already smacked them all around like ragdolls, paying more attention to them wouldn't change that. Though more than a few of them were sending angry looks towards himself and his friends where they were seated on the ground of the Academy courtyard like everyone else.

He had briefly considered the possibility that the Kazekage was just being sadistic towards children, but the theory was quickly discarded. Rasa struck him as being more along the lines of necessarily ruthless than outright sadistic. He didn't do anything without a pragmatic motive. So what was his motive right _now_? Any why put them in the spotlight like this?

"I am very disappointed."

The Academy Students in the courtyard seemed to suffer a collective flinch from Rasa's words.

"To be honest, I hadn't really expected a victory on your part. However, I'd still been confident that the students of this Academy would've been able to at least respectably hold their own. That you could make your opponents truly fight to earn their victory."

The Kazekage shook his head, displeasure evident in his features and expression. "Given not only your failure to subdue any of your opponents, but also your poor performance in general, it's abundantly clear that _none_ of you are ready to graduate from the Academy. I strongly suggest you focus as much time on your training as you can until graduation. Otherwise _none_ of you will survive long enough to become strong and productive Shinobi of the Hidden Sand."

The students all looked downright chagrined after that, even a little ashamed. It was as if the Kazekage had come down to essentially tell them how much they sucked.

' _Not a bad motivator, but he might be laying it on a little thick._ '

But seriously, this couldn't have been the only reason he'd arranged all of this. A little lesson on preparation and a showing of how unprepared they really were? He could've done that any number of different ways without making involving Tetsuo and his friends, so what was his real angle? That was the question of the day.

And as the Kazekage turned their way, Tetsuo could feel in his gut that he was about to get an answer.

"And it's also showed me something else," he continued, gesturing the three of them over.

Shira was the first to respond, getting up and moving almost by reflex to the Kazekage's silent all-but command. Kunou was next, moving slightly slower than Shira, but no less respectful. She probably didn't _like_ the man much, but she didn't let it get in the way of showing respect to the most powerful man in the Hidden Sand.

Tetsuo, of course, was the last of the three to respond, taking his time to rise up and head on over. He was just defiant like that.

The Kazekage was patient enough to not really make a scent, though he did slightly roll his eyes.

Either way, Tetsuo made his way up in front of the man with his two buddies, ready to hear what he had to say. Tetsuo hoped it was at least important enough for him to have wasted so much of his day on this.

"What I've witnessed today has made some facts abundantly clear. The need for greater focus on teaching our Academy Students in practical skills is chief among them, but the three of _you_ have made something else quite obvious. Though it's somewhat more personal towards you."

Tetsuo could almost swear the edges of Rasa's lips actually tilted upwards for a moment, but it disappeared before he could confirm it was anything more than his own vivid imagination.

"The three of you have shown that your skills are _more_ than advanced enough for your age to be put to use."

' _Wait, what?_ '

"Therefore, you from now on be a Genin team of the Hidden Sand Village. You will meet your assigned Jōnin-sensei here in the courtyard tomorrow at 8 in the morning, sharp. I'm sure you will do us proud in the times to come."

This… _this_ was why he arranged everything! It wasn't just to drive something home or test the Academy Students, he wanted to make it clear to any and all detractors that their skills were on a high enough level to be made a team. A way to keep them together by subverting the typical rules of the Academy without actually going against his own decrees.

' _Okay,'_ Tetsuo mentally admitted, slightly petulant. _'I gotta admit, that was actually kinda clever.'_

oOoOoOoOo The Next Day oOoOoOoOo

"So," Shira said slowly, "you're saying you _really_ don't find it particularly exciting?"

"No," Tetsuo answered, dragging the two letters out as if there were eight instead of two. "I'm really _not_ all that excited. Don't get me wrong, I know this is a big deal, but it's not exactly big enough to _excite_ me."

Kunou scoffed at that. "I somehow think that nothing besides toying with those Puppets really gets you hyped at all."

' _Finally, someone who gets it.'_

Seriously, Shira had practically been jumping off the damn walls since the announcement yesterday. Not literally, he was too self-controlled for that, but as close as someone so taciturn could get in general. Probably because he had all but given up on being an official Shinobi due to his handicap, so this was an especially big deal for him.

Good thing Kunou was much more reserved about it, steady as a rock in the ocean.

Though Tetsuo had to admit, he actually _was_ a little eager to get started. Training was good and all, but you couldn't really hope to improve if you never got out into the field. Becoming a team meant it was gonna be _much_ easier to work on his abilities, not to mention the extra money he'd be getting from missions.

Granted, it also meant taking some time away from his personal project, but he considered that a fair trade.

He was also a little curious about who would be their Jōnin instructor. He was pretty sure Rasa wouldn't have picked someone at random like drawing a name from a raffle, it would've been someone made their instructor for a _purpose_. So who?

Well, they were about to find out. It was nearly 8 in the morning and the three of them were already seated on the ground in the Academy courtyard, awaiting the arrival of the person who'd be responsible for teaching and moulding them into a batch of _respectable_ Ninja.

He didn't really have much to do to pass the time, so Tetsuo kept his mind occupied by inscribing Sealing arrays on the ground in front of him. Might as well do something productive, and he was actually making some progress.

He'd learned a lot about Seals and the science behind them since his apprenticeship to Chiyo, from various formulas and the basis' behind them and how to construct his own. Primary among them was how Seals worked in concept.

They were essentially made to work like a basic Chakra Network, using formulas and pathways to shape and work the Chakra in a way that manifested similarly to a specific Jutsu. Basic Seals were simple enough, but the advanced ones could practically give the uninitiated some _serious_ headaches. Especially when someone's own Chakra Element came into it.

He was about to make an addition to his drawing on the ground when Shira lightly tapped his shoulder. "He's here."

Nodding briefly in response, Tetsuo quickly got rid of the drawing and stood up, doing his best to look presentable.

Then he looked at the person they'd been assigned and _almost_ broke into a smile.

Because the Jōnin in front of them was definitely someone he recognized. Someone he recognized from very recently, in point of fact.

He never even would've guessed that Anji Yūkyūzan was actually a Jōnin.

 **xXx**

Whoa. I swear, the chapters are starting to get longer on average. Anyway, sorry for what was probably a longer than usual wait. Things have gotten hectic again so it's been a little harder for me to sit down and focus on my writing. Not only have my Electrician Training classes started up for the next semester, our landlord has given us notice. So now me and my mom have until October 1st to find another place and move out. We've found a pretty nice one, but the move will still be a bitch. I'm pretty sure this'll be the…sixth move I've experienced in my life so far.

Regarding the chapter, Tetsuo's musings on Seals are kinda my own take on it. Sealing and its workings are explained very little in canon beyond "write on paper, make it do something". Literally _nothing_ beyond that is known about it. It actually gets to the point that Sealing is less of a form of Shinobi skills and more of a plot device.

As for how the team was founded, I wanted to make it something believable. Rasa himself passed the law that nobody unable to use Ninjutsu and/or Genjutsu would be allowed to join the Academy and be trained to become a Ninja, but he also needed to get Tetsuo and Shira on the same team. How? By _proving_ that Shira's abilities were still up to snuff. The same thing kinda went for Kunou as well, though not to the same extent, and Tetsuo never even bothered with the Academy. This was the best way for the team to form in a way that didn't make it look like he was showing favoritism. Motivating the Academy Students with a kick in the pants was also a good bonus.

As for the fight, I wanted to show not _just_ how skilled the three of them were, but also showcase their abilities and how they used them. Kunou in particular, considering I've only given little snippets of her stealth and sensory abilities until now. You'll find out their exact working later, given that even _she_ isn't exactly fully aware of how they work, considering she essentially got them from the….. _other_ side of her family tree. That said, I don't think it'll be too hard to connect the dots.

Anyway, I'm heading to bed now. I'm gonna see if I can squeeze out one more chapter for this before moving onto the next chapter for Infinite Variant and the The Will To Power. Point out any spelling or grammar errors you may find so I can fix them.

Review and have a nice night!


	11. What Did You Expect? Something Epic?

Chapter 11

 **What Did You Expect? Something Epic?**

xXx

oOoOoOoOo Tetsuo oOoOoOoOo

Surprisingly enough, their formation into an official Genin team of the Hidden Sand didn't really change much in regards to their personal schedules. There were a few alterations, mostly due to Anji's own presence, but their becoming Genin really didn't change their dynamic or methods very noticeably.

Tetsuo was pretty sure that the reason was because Anji's status as their Jōnin-sensei was largely a formality.

Oh, that wasn't to say he was a poor Ninja or teacher, that couldn't be further from the truth. Tetsuo had taken the time to check up on what little of the man's record he could, and his skills in both domains were definitely substantial. It's just that their situation as a team was a little…..complicated.

Generally a Jōnin-sensei assigned to a Genin team was expected to split his or her attention between the three prospective Shinobi and teach them the ins and outs of their new lifestyle. But their situation made that less of a hard requirement, given that their situations generally gave them the training they needed.

Shira's specialty in Taijutsu and physical conditioning was because Ninjutsu and Genjutsu just weren't on the table for him, so he'd long since dedicated himself to refining his strengths with an intense training regimen that addressed exactly that. He rarely needed any guidance beyond the occasional tip from Ebizō or some sparring to work out any kinks the old fashioned way.

Kunou was a bit more complicated, due to the fact that even _she_ wasn't entirely sure of the source or extent of her unique abilities, but she was still able to train herself with constant use and practice. Often by infiltrating the general area of the Hidden Sand Village itself and seeing what little mischief she could effectively pull off. Besides a small but effective arsenal of Ninjutsu to round herself out and some sparring, her comparably smaller array of skills meant she specialized similarly to Shira.

Tetsuo's situation went without saying, considering he was already apprenticed to Chiyo and learning everything _she_ knew even as he expanded on it. He really didn't _need_ to be on a team to expand his skills and get stronger, it was just a formality to make him an official Genin of the Hidden Sand.

As noted, their team situation was a little complicated.

But, impressively enough, Anji _still_ found a way to make it work out. Instead of being bullheaded about the whole thing, he proved remarkably flexible. He didn't ask them to relinquish the training methods they already had, he simply _refined_ them.

Shira got the most obvious addition, due to Anji more or less acting as his Taijutsu instructor when their team met up. Ebizō's tutelage had helped him come a long way, but the old man's age meant he could only do so much. Anji's being in his physical prime (and built like a small mountain of muscle) made him much better suited to the kinesthetic teaching methods that Shira worked best with. Every spar, every traded hit, was practically another lesson learned. Shira was _prospering_ from it.

Kunou's training adaptation wasn't as direct, due to Anji's own stature and build making stealth somewhat of a non-option for him. So he helped by refining her Ninjutsu skills and teaching her some Genjutsu. Subtle ones that meshed well with her personal style instead of clashing with it. He still got her more into their sparring, considering even _she_ couldn't stay stealthy forever in a pitched battle, but he didn't try to make her abandon her strengths in any way.

Lastly, there was Tetsuo himself.

Needless to say, the young Puppeteer's situation was probably the one that least needed addressing. He was learning more as Chiyo's apprentice one-on-one than he feasibly would from Anji. Sealing, Ninjutsu, Medical Ninjutsu, information gathering, poisons, infiltration, and obviously Puppetry. He was even getting training from Ebizō in Taijutsu and refining it from constant spars with Shira, which also did the job of physical conditioning.

It wasn't really surprising that Anji altered his training the least, largely just making sure he was involved in team exercises to make sure they were all kept in synch. He occasionally helped him to develop his Taijutsu and taught him some Ninjutsu to work on and expand his arsenal a bit, but that was largely all.

As noted, it wasn't exactly the typical dynamic. But there was still _one_ thing being on a team allowed them to do that they otherwise couldn't.

Go on missions. Which was why they were currently in the Mission Assignment branch of the Hidden Sand administration tower, choosing an assignment from one of the many bureaucrats responsible for handing them out and receiving debriefs.

The man they were speaking to was a man who looked to be somewhere in his forties, dark hair starting to gray and the beginning of wrinkles starting to form. He also had no left arm below the elbow. Probably a former Ninja who had to retire due to his injury.

"We have several potential assignments your team can apply for right now. A caravan escort, some bodyguard work, and a border patrol." He took the three scrolls, each labeled for separation, and placed them side by side on the table. "Take your pick."

Not a bad selection for a first mission; just the right combination of safety and risk for a new Genin team looking for their first taste of real Ninja work. But which one to choose?

Looking back to his team, he cocked his head slightly to signal his two friends to share their opinions on the matter. Shira didn't really seem to have any significant leanings one way or the other, choosing to trust his judgement. Kunou just replied that she thought the border patrol mission would probably be a bit quieter, but didn't add anything beyond that.

Anji just stayed out of it entirely, allowing Tetsuo himself to make the choice. No pressure.

Taking a last look at each of the mission scrolls, the apparent _head_ Genin let out a sigh and reached out to take the scroll for the caravan escort.

"Very well. You'll be escorting a caravan shipment of ores from the Hidden Stone Village near the Land of Earth into the town of Nagashima in the Land of Rivers. There shouldn't be too much trouble, but keep on your guard. There's always the risk of bandits or some Rogue Ninja. You'll find the mission details on the scroll, go over it and meet up at the gate tomorrow at 7:00 AM."

' _Don't gotta tell ME twice._ '

Turning around, Tetsuo unfolded the mission scroll as he and his team walked out of the office, going over the details. At least he had some extra reading material to go through before the mission got started.

oOoOoOoOo

Just as ordered they'd arrived at the gates of the Hidden Sand Village at slightly before 7:00 AM. They'd already packed up everything they would need for an extended trip away, made easy by Tetsuo's own Storage Seals, so they just grabbed a quick bite to eat and roughly an hour before the deadline.

That gave them a few more minutes before everything went underway, so Tetsuo figured now was as good a time as any to go over the mission briefing again. He seemed to more or less be the Genin-in-Chief on the team, so he might as well act the part.

"You're _still_ reading that?" Shira questioned, doing some basic Taijutsu stances to pass the time his own way.

"Yeah," Tetsuo responded dryly. "I have no idea how, but the guy somehow managed to write it in a way that makes it sound like a really steamy romance novel. I'm trying to find out the secret to it."

He heard Kunou stifle a chuckle at that even as he continued reading. Shira really made it too easy for him sometimes.

"Oh, I get it" his friend said flatly. "So you're training to be a pervert of some kind."

' _Ooh, looks like he's getting the hang of it._ '

Unfortunately, Anji arrived right before he could say something back. "You're all here. Good, punctuality is always a useful trait. Let's get going."

Not about to sour a relationship with a leader he actually _liked_ , Tetsuo put the scroll away and stepped up to their Jōnin-sensei. Their mission was about to go underway, so he might as well get used to the hierarchy. There was a big difference between getting on someone's nerves off the clock or during training and getting on their nerves on an important mission.

' _Boy did Chiyo make sure to lecture THAT into my head._ '

Anji just got to the point. "You all know the mission parameters: we'll be escorting a transport along the borders of the Lands of Wind and Rain into the Land of Rivers. The goods in transit will be a shipment of ores, a prime target for bandits looking for quick and valuable plunder. I doubt we'll encounter any serious resistance, but keep on your guard. If all goes well, we should be back within two weeks at most."

They all nodded in affirmation, having gone over the mission in detail themselves the night before. Tetsuo figured that they might as well get off to a good start by thoroughly knowing all the details. The Devil was in the details, as they always said.

A statement that was particularly true for anyone who had ever become a Shinobi.

Looking them over for any signs of hesitation, Anji nodded in approval when he saw none. "Alright, let's go."

And they were off, running out of the gate in formation. Anji in the lead while the three Genin formed a triangular pattern behind him.

Looking to his friends beside him, Tetsuo couldn't help but wonder at what they were thinking. Or at least he was wondering what _Kunou_ was thinking, Shira's uncharacteristically broad grin was a dead giveaway.

He imagine everybody had their own reaction to their first mission. Excitement, nervousness, calm, a different reaction for every new Genin. Shira was obviously excited and not even trying to hide it, but Kunou kept her face carefully neutral. Maybe she was just really focused? Whatever.

Either way, Tetsuo had a reaction of his own to the situation.

' _I hope this isn't boring._ '

oOoOoOoOo

"BOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGGG….!"

"Tetsuo," Shira ground out, lying back against a tree as he regained some of his expended stamina. "Do you _really_ think it's a god idea to shout something like that out loud like that? We're on a mission in less than friendly territory."

He groaned. "Come on, Shira, it's not my fault I don't do well with boredom. And what are you so worried about? We're barely on the border of the Land of Wind, so the chances of any kind of ambush is practically null. We only _just_ started seeing trees again."

Indeed, since their departure almost two days before they had done nothing but run toward their destination. It was almost a straight shot north towards their client in the Hidden Stone Village and there weren't any other towns along the way, especially considering most of the run had been through the desert of the Land of Wind.

In other words, there was absolutely nothing at all to distract Tetsuo from his boredom. Oh, he managed to bring along some Sealing manuals and novels for respective studying and reading, but that was all he really _could_ do. They couldn't just stop for some training or sparring, and there weren't any towns to stay in or check for any souvenirs, so there wasn't really much to occupy himself with.

It wasn't his fault. Really it wasn't. There had to be some kind of conspiracy going on that was planning to have him die of boredom before he could attain his maximum possible awesomeness. That was the only reasonable explanation.

… _Or_ maybe he was just starting to go crazy as some kind of coping mechanism for the mind-numbing boredom. Yeah, that made _much_ more sense.

Shira looked like he was about to try and argue with him, but then he just sighed in defeat and went back to resting against the tree. Guess getting into a debate right now just wasn't worth the effort.

Truth be told, Tetsuo was a little disappointed. A little argument might have actually made things a little more entertaining.

"Aw," a feminine voice sing-songed behind him. "No debate for you? Don't worry, _I'll_ be happy to throw some insults your way to ease the painful lull in your life."

He smiled broadly, turning to the source of the rather welcome interruption. "Thanks, Kunou. I can always rely on _you_." He turned back to Shira, his face morphing into a look of abject disappointment. "Unlike _some_ people."

"Not falling for it."

"Enough," a deep, authoritative voice spoke out, immediately getting their collective attention.

Anji walked forward from the trees, done with his brief surveying of the surrounding terrain and discerning their heading. "I've discerned our relative location to our objective. You have five more minutes for your break and then you'll pack up and be ready to leave. The sooner we arrive, the sooner we can sleep in an inn for the night."

Let it be known that there were few things as tempting to any Shinobi on the job, from Genin to Jōnin, as the chance to sleep in a bed on a potentially long-term mission. It was kinda amazing how quickly such an apparently simple thing could become a luxury item.

The five minutes came and gone and they quickly packed up what little they'd brought out to entertain themselves with, getting ready to leave along with their sensei.

Nodding in approval, Anji turned and leapt into the trees without a word, silently signaling for them to follow. They didn't disappoint, quickly following him until they got back into their formation and forming up right behind him.

They traveled in silence for most of the way, the only noise being the occasional sounds of wildlife and their rapid footfalls upon the thick tree branches they leapt upon over the ground. There wasn't really too much to say at the moment, they were all focused on reaching their destination, the sooner they could get some actual rest and get started on the _real_ mission.

So it was actually a little surprising when Shira actually spoke out. "Sensei?"

Anji didn't turn around, just replying with a questioning grunt that urged him to continue.

Shira seemed to hesitate for a moment, chewing his lip slightly until he finally spoke. "I know this is our first mission, and I'm not complaining in any way, but there's something about it that's kinda been bugging me."

Again, Anji's response was less verbal than some silent or _near_ -silent encouragement that Shira seemed to intuitively understand.

"I thought first missions were generally work _inside_ the Village, not outside like this. My father used to work at a bar where passing Ninja tended to stop by and a few Genin tend to get….kinda mouthy when they've had some alcohol."

Genin and alcohol….was that even allowed? Drinking age was supposed to be related to actual physical maturity and not _social_ maturity, right? Were Ninja's an exception, or was it kind of a soft rule?

Either way, the question finally seemed to warrant a more verbal answer from their taciturn sensei. "You're not wrong," he stated simply. "Most Villages have D-Rank Missions available. Things like painting fences, taking care of pets, various forms of community service, simple deliveries. A variety of chores that clients can put up in return for making a certain payment. It's meant as a starting point for Genin in order to work on basic cohesion before they get into real work."

Seriously? _That_ stuff counted as mission material for Ninja's? Sure, it sounded like it was reserved only for really green Genin, but still.

Kunou seemed to share his opinion, if her rather disgusted snort was any indication. "So those Genin are hired out to do _chores_ around the Village?"

"Yes," Anji answered simply. "Though it's generally only done in the more prosperous Ninja Villages where there's actually enough money to go around. The Hidden Sand stopped bothering with them quite some time ago, considering them a waste of time and effort when C-Rank Missions were much more efficient for our economy. It also means acclimating Genin into the Ninja lifestyle earlier in general, which means building up their skills more quickly in order to take on higher ranking and better paying missions. We can't afford to have our Genin waste time on menial chores."

Tetsuo clacked his teeth at that in agreement. ' _Especially not when our economy can't waste time on collecting chump change when we need to make more money. D-Ranks sound like they're meant more for fostering goodwill among the populace rather than serving any economic purpose.'_

Shira and Kunou seemed to reach the same conclusion as him, considering the looks on their faces. It was actually a little obvious when you really thought about it; D-Rank Missions didn't pay to be an economically viable form of supporting a Village's own economy, so they had to have a different purpose behind them. Fostering goodwill was one such reason, maybe even the only relatively _visible_ one.

Either way, Shira's curiosity seemed to be satisfied at Anji's answers, nodding in understanding as his former focus returned.

No more questions, it was back to the mission.

oOoOoOoOo

"Thank goodness you're really here."

Tetsuo looked over the person who had employed them for this assignment, a somewhat portly merchant dressed up in fancy clothes suited to the mildly wealthy. Though the 'mildly' was probably relative, considering he probably had more money in his own pocket that their Kazekage.

Anji didn't miss a beat, walking forward and dipping into a slight bow to the man. "We arrived as quickly as we were able. Am I correct in assuming we'll be leaving tomorrow?"

The man nodded, his face almost split in half by his beaming smile. "Indeed. It's so good to know that my next shipment will have some security. Almost a quarter of my shipments so far this year have been attacked and plundered! I've had to make so many cutbacks, not to mention the price inflation."

' _Always trust a merchant to worry about money instead of employees._ '

He let his attention wander as Anji and their client continued discussing the details of the job, only half paying attention at this point as he looked around.

The Hidden Stone Village wasn't too large, being noticeably smaller than the Hidden Sand Village. The buildings were generally constructed of timber from the surrounding woodlands, a marked difference from the clay and stucco from back home. He also saw a few fields some distance out, a source of fresh produce that would've been REALLY out of place in a desert. To think it was all possible because of the greater abundance of water.

Shira seemed equally surprised by it all, though Kunou's usually apathetic expression implied she didn't really seem to care either way. Seriously, what would it take to get a rise out of her? Or at least get her to change her expression?

…

"Kunou, your hair is on fire."

She turned towards him with the flattest expression he'd yet seen on her face, as if intentionally denying him some kind of victory.

He smiled at her. "Can't blame a guy for trying, right?"

Her face didn't so much as twitch, though he was happy to note that there was at least as park of humor in her eyes. As if she was _daring_ him to try and get a rise out of her.

He noticed Shira shrink back slightly at the edge of his vision as he felt his grin grow almost predatory. ' _Challenge accepted._ '

oOoOoOoOo Kunou oOoOoOoOo

Sometimes she couldn't help but wonder if Tetsuo was entirely right in the head.

No, that wasn't quite right. It would be more accurate to say that she sometimes wondered if his moments of craziness were genuine, or if he just liked faking it for any number of reasons. Getting people to laugh? Getting them off guard? Just to mess with someone? Hell, maybe even all of the above at once whenever possible?

Either way, he was doing a damn good job of trying to get a reaction out of her right now. Even if she wasn't exactly the current target of his mischief.

"For the _last_ time," Shira muttered, voice almost heavy from the frustration, "I'm _not_ getting a tattoo. _Especially_ not one like that."

' _Oh, this is gonna be fun to watch._ '

The three of them were currently leaning back against a tree and resting under the shade it provided, waiting for Anji to finish discussing the mission with their client and come along to collect them. In the meantime, Tetsuo was doing his damn best to _do_ what he did best.

Did it even need to be stated?

Tetsuo let out brief a whine of disappointment. "But come on, it'd be great. A sign of solidarity between teammates! We can all get something matching. I can get a tattoo of an ass on my ass and you could get an elephant on your-"

" _Don't even finish that sentence!_ " Shira shouted out, rising from his seat on the ground to stand over Tetsuo with a glower, even as his face seemed to be literally burning from his embarrassed blush. "Seriously, _don't_! I swear I'll cripple you if you do."

The smile dropped from Tetsuo's face and was immediately replaced with a rather exaggerated frown. "You're no fun today. What happened to the Shira who always went along with me whenever I thought of something funny?"

Shira's heated glower chilled at the question, instead shifting to an expression so bland that Kunou actually took some mental notes. "He found out how much trouble you really are and decided to cover his own ass."

Then Tetsuo's face shifted to mocking confusion and Kunou just _knew_ Shira had stepped right into something. "Your _ass_? But the tattoo was gonna be on your-"

There was a deafening crashing sound as Shira pulled his fist back and unleashed it in a vicious punch on the tree he was previously resting against, splintering a large section of its trunk and causing what looked like a small crater. "Don't. Say it."

Apparently even Tetsuo knew when to back off in the face of a losing battle like this. With a resigned sigh and a roll of his eyes, he shuffled his position slightly against the tree and silently dismissed the whole thing.

Shira got the message, pulling his fist back from the tree and taking his seat once again. Too bad, it was just getting good.

Then Shira had to open his mouth. "So, what exactly was Kunou's tattoo supposed to be?"

Instead of responding immediately, Tetsuo just laid against the tree for a little while, keeping them waiting for an answer. Only after maybe half a minute did he even open his eyes and look at them, first at Shira and then at her.

 _Then_ he broke out in a grin that almost made her shiver.

"Easy," he answered, bringing his hands up to cup both against his chest. "She would've gotten a pair of boobs tattooed on her-"

" _NOT ON YOUR FUCKING LIFE!_ "

The shout came out so loud that it seemed to literally shake the air around them, almost causing the injured tree to topple back from the sheer force. To say nothing of how painful it was for their dear eardrums, their hands practically clapping over their ears as they cringed in pain.

Standing up over them and huffing, Kunou belatedly realized that _she_ was the one who'd loosed the deafening noise.

Tetsuo tried to brush it off by giving a showoff cleaning out his ears before turning a wide and slightly pained grin her way. "Looks like that's a win for me. Told you I could get a reaction out of you."

oOoOoOoOo Tetsuo oOoOoOoOo

It wasn't long after the little debacle by the tree that things started to speed up for their mission. After some more time just relaxing (and healing, in the case of Tetsuo and Shira's eardrums) they headed to town to comb the stalls for anything of interest. Beyond a couple souvenirs, particularly some rather nice metalwork, they headed to the inn Anji had designated as their temporary place of rest. Unsurprisingly, their Jōnin-sensei was already present in the room, his massive frame making the bed he was sitting on look almost comically small.

"The journey will take less than a week to finish if the convoy keeps a steady pace," Anji spoke out calmly, not even bothering to turn towards them or open his eyes as he relayed the information. "There will be five wagons, each drawn by a pair of horses, and all of them loaded with a variety of purified metallic ores. Slow and hard to maneuver, a favorite target for bandits the world over."

Tetsuo smiled slightly at that as he walked to his own bed, Shira doing the same even as Kunou simply took a seat on the floor. "That's why they hired us as security, right? Not surprising, considering hired mercenaries might not do much."

Anji nodded, his eyes still closed. "Yes, but don't let your guard down. After all…"

He opened his eyes, finally turning his flinty stare and full attention over to his three students. Now he was getting serious.

"Bandits aren't the only threat we may encounter. Especially considering the route we'll be taking for Nagashima."

The three of them quieted at that, knowing full well what he meant. Surprisingly enough, it was Shira who spoke up first in the ensuing silence. "The route will take us through the Land of Rain. Just along the border on their side."

Kunou sighed, more than a little resignation in the breath. "Which means we're almost guaranteed to run into Ninjas of some kind," she finished for him, obviously not looking forward to such an encounter. "Rogue or not, that could be a problem. Any kind of fight would attract _way_ too much attention from a land that has no reason at all to love us."

Shira seemed to find something funny at that, if the humorous snort as any indication. Turning to Tetsuo, he had a wry grin on his face as he put his train of thought into words. "Looks like things won't be too boring for you after all. Not many things are as exciting as walking through a country of people who all might want to kill you."

Tetsuo just shrugged, not considering further comment necessary. They had a point after all.

The sound of Anji clearing his throat returned their attention back to him. "Regardless, I expect you all to be on your guard. I doubt we'll encounter any resistance that would be beyond our abilities to handle, but be prepared for _anything_. I want you plan out how to defend the caravans, as well as and potential combat strategies or tactics. We'll discuss them in greater length before we leave tomorrow at noon."

The three of them nodded in affirmation. However much they may have just joked about it, this was still a serious mission with an undeniable chance of danger. That meant it had to be treated with all due severity and seriousness, lest they all wanted to end up dead.

Even Tetsuo wasn't quite cocky enough to push his luck on that. Certainly not this early in his life when there was so much more awesomeness to develop. It'd just be a shame.

oOoOoOoOo

"I wonder how long it'll be until something happens?"

It had been a little over 3 hours since they'd left the town and their client behind and started with their escort mission, walking along the dirt road with the wagons beside them.

Unfortunately none of his teammates were with him, so the question went unanswered. "Boring."

It hadn't taken them long to decide on an escort formation, and Anji not poking any holes in it helped make it clear that he considered it acceptable. Or maybe he just refrained from commenting on it as some sort of test? It was kinda hard to tell with him sometimes.

Either way, they had gone forward with it.

The convoy was five wagons long in a single file line, so they didn't quite have the numbers to cover all of them at once, not if they wanted them to have room to maneuver at all in case something happened.

Anji, the obvious and most dangerous target he was, stayed by the side of the front cart. With his strength and (from what his training with Shira had suggested) speed, the slight distance from the others would in no way hinder him if other parts of the convoy were attacked. Besides the fact that he was essentially a living bulwark on his own, meaning the front was probably the safest place to be.

Shira was in the back of the convoy, providing coverage from the rear flank. His speed and strength made his position there clear for much the same reason as Anji, though he was much less obvious about it. It was also a little misdirection, subtly suggesting for any ambushers to start from the rear rather than the front.

After all, who would _you_ pick a fight with? Some admittedly toned kid, or big bad Anji?

' _I think I'd honestly pay to see the faces of anyone who thinks Shira would be much easier._ '

And, of course, there was Tetsuo's position in the middle of it all. Walking alongside the center cart of the convoy, he was in a position where he could use his arsenal best. He might not be as fast or strong as Shira and Anji, but he still had more _variety_. A position in the center meant he could use his Water Style Ninjutsu and Puppets to counter attacks and provide support to any other front in the event of an attack, even while allowing him to be in a position to provide healing in the event of an injury.

Chakra Threads were so _versatile_. Who would've thought?

And of course, that wasn't even mentioning Kunou.

He surreptitiously tapped against the wooden frame of the wagon beside him, listening carefully as he received two rather terse taps back in response. ' _Looks like Kunou isn't too happy._ '

Unlike Tetsuo and the others, Kunou wasn't assigned to guard any wagon, she was instead hidden away in the wagon beside him underneath the tarp. Not exactly the best place for her to contribute to a fight, but perfect for the plan they had in mind.

Instead of adding to the visible security of the caravan, Kunou had the responsibility of secretly using her sensory abilities to keep an eye out for any would-be ambushers. Her range was easily long enough for her to detect anything circumspect, upon which she would signal Tetsuo with a series of light taps in a specific sequence, and then Tetsuo would alert the others by making contact with his Chakra Threads.

Of course, it also helped that keeping Kunou hidden meant she could come out any time things started looking dangerous and catch their attackers by surprise. After all, ambushers never seemed to expect being on the receiving end of their own tactic. And she could cause a _lot_ of trouble before anyone even knew she was there.

It still didn't keep her from raising a fuss and glaring death at every one of them before she finally relented. He was honestly worried they may have had to put it to a vote to get her to go along with the plan, but it was fortunately averted in the end.

He couldn't resist a brief chuckle at the memory from earlier today. She couldn't stop glaring at him when it was time for her to actually get in the cart and stay hidden under the tarp. ' _If looks could kill, I'd have been dead three times over from that look._ '

He almost jumped back when several vicious taps from inside of the wagon made it clear Kunou had heard his chuckle. Or maybe she was just trying to keep herself from going crazy from inside the cart with nothing to do.

…Well, guess that was just another reason he should be happy _he_ wasn't the one in there right now.

So, reasonably confident that they wouldn't be caught by surprise with Kunou's help, he decided to take a chapter out of Chiyo's lessons and started going over some Sealing formulae in his head. A little something she taught him to make lulls more productive.

' _Every mission has a lull or two in it,_ ' he remembered. ' _So you might as well make them productive. If you can't spar, start going over things in your head. It'll help the time fly by, if nothing else._ '

As good a distraction from boredom as anything else, he supposed.

oOoOoOoOo 6 Hours Later oOoOoOoOo

' _And here I thought the first day would be BORING,_ ' Tetsuo sarcastically thought, stalking a wild deer in the surrounding forest.

The caravan had kept going on for a good while, allowing them to make some impressive distance on their first day of travel. They were already more than three-quarters of the way to the border of the Land of Rain, making much better progress than he'd thought. They'd be able to pass the border tomorrow easily.

Apparently, that was the reason Anji had advised for them to stop for the day. Best to save their strength for the weather and terrain of one of the least hospitable places in the Elemental Nations. The muddy ground would be very difficult for the wagons to easily maneuver on, even discounting the potential for wheels to get outright caught. And that was without taking into account just how soaked they would get from the rain and the difficulty in keeping themselves and everything dry.

But as Tetsuo spotted the prey he'd been tracking, he already knew the biggest reason Anji had decided to stop.

He wanted them to be as rested and ready for tomorrow as possible in case a fight broke out.

' _Guess we'll see tomorrow._ '

Throwing out his hand, Tetsuo's kunai flew through the air at the unsuspecting animal. Whistling slightly at its passage through the air, the blade impacted the creature clean in the back of the head. ' _Bullseye!_ '

Running forward to the now dead animal, he quickly retrieved his kunai with a tug and a quick sound of scraping bone and slung it up to carry it back. ' _Looks like we're eating good tonight._ '

Granted, the caravan had brought plenty of supplies for the journey, but there was no problem with getting some extra, right? Might as well stock up a bit before they got to the Land of Rain, given how little chance they had to get extra food in that wet and muddy terrain. Besides, he felt safer knowing he'd caught the food himself.

Call it paranoia.

It didn't take him long to get back to the camp they'd made, little more than a few collections of blankets around a campfire, contained and intensified by a rising wall of stones that would be used to cook and soon help to keep them warm. Kept far enough away from the camp made by the caravan to give them some privacy, they could afford to speak of topics that were in demand of…. _mild_ secrecy. Never knew who might be listening, after all.

There was also a mildly deep hole that had been dug while he was gone, by his own request. A little something to make his next bit of work just a bit easier.

He was greeted with a "welcome back" from Kunou before he even got within ten steps of the fire, Shira just acknowledging him with a brief nod. Anji, meanwhile, was sitting beside the fire itself, seemingly sleeping if Tetsuo wasn't completely sure he was awake. He'd had enough experience around their Jōnin-sensei to know he could be literally as still as stone before he put his speed to use.

' _Kinda hard to forget all the times I've seen him smack Shira around while he seemed to stand in place.'_

…

' _Also kinda funny, but I'm not telling Shira about that part._ '

Getting close enough to the fire to feel its warmth wash upon him, he set down his catch and waved to everyone around him. The light of day was just barely starting to fade, meaning it was time to get started.

So, after unfurling a Sealing Scroll and bringing out a tarp and the hanger for the carcass, Shira tossed him a knife and he got to work on the dead deer.

"Really," Kunou sarcastically inquired, "You're gonna do that right here?"

"Come on, Kunou. Don't tell me you can't handle a little blood."

She shook her head. "It's not the blood, I just don't want the smell of guts out and around here when I'm sleeping. Might attract predators."

" _Right_ ," he responded, glancing side at her. "Like you really can't handle a bear. Besides, it's fresh meat."

Rolling her eyes at him, Kunou turned her attention back to the fire in front of her, returning to her own task as she got out some basic cooking and cleaning equipment for the meat. Chiyo had donated some of her own old equipment, among it a big skillet of cast-iron and a grill with some equipment for suspending it over a fire.

Slicing quickly and efficiently through the carcass, he cut the skin away and opened the belly to remove the organs, not even so much as flinching at the blood that stuck to his hands. He wasn't exactly an expert at it, not enough game animals in the desert to really practice, but he was able to open it up and gut it in around 15 minutes. After depositing the guts into the nearby hole, he started the process of cutting away all the skin to reveal the meat beneath.

Meal preparation wasn't exactly a Ninja skill most people really took too seriously at first, not thinking much of it in comparison to Ninjutsu or other more flashy abilities, but Chiyo had been very adamant about learning it well.

" _Listen good, brat. I know learning how to carve up meat and get it cooked right doesn't sound impressive, and I know you're rolling your eyes at me right now –that's right, I noticed- but I'm speaking from experience, dammit! When you're out in the wilderness, no towns or restaurants in sight, when all you've got is a kunai and a dead animal and nothing else at all to eat, you'll want to know how to prepare it right. You'll want to know how to skin and gut it, you'll want to know how to make the cuts and perfectly prepare them. You'll want to know how to do it PROPERLY! Because the difference between knowing and not knowing will be all that saves you from the horrors of undercooked meat, eating the wrong parts, and having to resist the urge shit out your guts and puke up you're your lungs at the same time. And god FORBID if it gets infected or dirty._ "

Needless to say, she'd given him enough details to write a small horror story on the potential results of doing this wrong. She'd even went through the trouble to go out into the woods surrounding the Land of Wind to bring back some fresh kills to practice on, making some money off of selling the meat they didn't keep for themselves.

He still remembered holding back a chuckle as he watched Chiyo have a hard time at first due to being so… _vertically challenged_. Sometimes forcing her to jump up in order to do the cut right and remove the skin or carve off chunks of meat. She still got it all done right in under 8 minutes, but it didn't make it any less comical.

Not even when she said she'd put him through hell if he ever told anyone about what he'd seen.

Regardless, the creature was skinned, gutted, and carved up in roughly 45 minutes. Handing over the choice loin to Kunou, she quickly cleaned it and cut small sections of it into medallions, seasoning them with salt and pepper.

After taking some time to heat the skillet on the fire she poured in a small amount of olive oil they'd brought along in the Storage Scroll and lolled it around to fully cover the surface, then carefully laid each slice into the skillet.

With his own work done and the rest of the meat safely preserved in a Sealing Scroll, Tetsuo sat down by the fire and listened to the food sizzle. "Guess we won't be able to eat like this again until the mission's done, huh? Sure you got the prep right?"

"It's fine," Kunou answered, not bothering to look at him as she flipped the slices in the skillet. "Don't forget, Chiyo didn't exactly slack off when she was teaching _me_ this stuff, either."

Barely a minute later, Anji finally decided to speak up in his usual calm baritone. "Now that you've returned, we should discuss our plans for tomorrow."

Shira shifted in place slightly, "We'll be passing the border into the Land of Rain tomorrow. We need to be ready for anything."

Nobody argued the point. Hidden Rain might not exactly be an open enemy of the Hidden Sand, but they certainly weren't friends. And that was often enough reason on its own for them to quietly sabotage one-another and keep them on their back foot.

"What kind of trouble can we expect?" Kunou asked, briefly turning away from the fire. "We can at least expect some encounters with the Border Patrols, so their actual skill levels could be all over the place."

Anji nodded, briefly taking in her words. "Considering what our Intelligence Division has collected so far, we can expect teams of anywhere between four to seven people. Likely with a majority of senior Genin and perhaps a few Chūnin. I doubt they would waste the time of Jōnin level assets on simple patrols, so they shouldn't be a factor."

Tetsuo raised an eyebrow. "And if we _do_ run into some Jōnin?"

' _Seriously, I know I'm awesome, but I'm not taking my chances against a Jōnin THIS early._ '

Their sensei didn't respond right away, just letting silence settle for a few seconds before he turned and looked them in the eye and speaking in a tone solid as stone. "You'll leave them to me."

….Okay, that sounded fair.

Shira raised a hand and spoke up. "Should we otherwise proceed as we have so far? With Kunou hidden in the caravan?"

Anji nodded, as they had come to expect of his usual response.

Tetsuo was pretty sure none of them missed the aforementioned girls resigned sigh. "Great, now I get to be _wet_ and claustrophobic under that dirty tarp and surrounded by all those full sacks."

…..

The view of Kunou's face turning red as a tomato as she realized the _implications_ of her word choice would bring a smile to Tetsuo's face for many years to come.

"I DID **NOT** MEAN TO SAY IT LIKE THAT! I-I-"

"Take it easy, Kunou," Tetsuo drawled out, feel a shit eating grin slide onto his face as he spoke in a tone that would've sent a chill down a Kages own spine. "Do you _really_ think any of us would be _rude_ and _untrustworthy_ enough to tell anyone about your verbal slip-up?"

Her face immediately went from red to white once Tetsuo spoke. The reaction from Shira was a slap against his own forehead and a sigh that all but said "why do I have such crazy friends", and Anji…

Well, Anji didn't really respond in any immediately noticeable way. He just sat there with the same inscrutable look he always had. Not even a flinch.

' _Seriously, are his facial muscles paralyzed or something?_ '

Ignoring Kunou's muttered threats of bloody murder and extreme bodily harm, Tetsuo realized belatedly that he really didn't know much about Anji at all. He knew he worked as a psychiatrist in addition to being a Jōnin, he was tough as a huge boulder and built like one too, and he….

Huh. That was literally all he knew about him.

He was about to open his mouth when his instincts cut in and he initiated an emergency dodge, barely avoiding the kunai that whizzed right past his head and nearly nicked his cheek. "Whoa! Easy, Kunou, you could've killed me."

She just glared at him, the smile on her face doing nothing to take the icy edge off of her eyes. "Yeah. That'd be so sad, wouldn't it?"

oOoOoOoOo

The next day was all but miserable. They passed the border with no trouble and had continued travelling along the path without a hitch. Which did absolutely nothing to really prepare them for the almost immediate downpour that fell upon them once they passed the official border.

The client had been generous enough to prepare them for this by giving them all some good and thick cloaks to keep dry from the rain. Not a perfect solution, but they still worked regardless and would keep them from getting colds.

They'd gotten lucky so far, the convoy not even slowing down too much in spite of the mud due to something they did to the wheels to prepare them. Likewise, the escort team was alert and ready for any threat that would come out of the woodworks to catch them by surprise.

Their agreed formation and plan for the convoy went as they had discussed, with Tetsuo standing beside the middle cart holding Kunou.

He had _almost_ tried to swap positions with someone else, but decided against it. This was planned out because it was the best way to utilize their abilities and trying to change it now would just get in the way of that. He wasn't about to do that in the middle of a potentially dangerous mission.

That said….

' _She just has no idea how to take a joke._ '

It was a realization he'd come to with a little nudging last night as she proceeded to make things more difficult for him. Only done so in little ways that probably wouldn't seriously affect him, but nonetheless get her point across.

Making him wait for longer than the others before he got his share of the food. Doing so specifically so he'd get the one that was most burnt. Volunteering him for the first watch of the night.

Tiny things, even petty, but still noticeable enough. Guess she really didn't like his sense of humor.

' _Then again, maybe that one WAS a little too much._ '

At least she was probably a little dryer than everyone else. Situated underneath a thick tarp that the water seemed to flow off of like a rock, it looked like she might not even get touched by a drop of rain if they didn't get into a fight.

Regardless, he made sure to keep some of his attention on the cart beside him that held her. She was their most effective means to detect any potential threats or ambushes, so Tetsuo needed to make sure he could hear any kind of signal from her.

' _Even if I know she'll be finding ways to take me down a few pegs_ ', he thought.

oOoOoOoOo Anji Yūkyūzan oOoOoOoOo

Keeping his senses ever alert, the Jōnin of the escort team continued on in his typical silence. Walking alongside the front cart, Anji kept his mind clear and ready for any sudden attacks. If there was any point in their mission to expect an attack from an enemy, it would be here in the Land of Rain.

' _It hasn't changed at all since the last war. Depressing and beaten down as always._ '

It was almost a little sad. No matter how many times its leadership might change hands, no matter how often it was used as a battleground by its larger neighbors, no matter how many times they tried to get back up after every vicious beating, the Land of Rain would always be back in the same place it seemed to have started in. Just a landscape of misery and apathy.

And perhaps the greatest bitterness of it all was how the other Elemental Nations did absolutely nothing to change that. Making excuses to avoid using their resources for anything but their own advancement while trying to somehow pass themselves off as having some sort of higher ground than the others.

He remembered the days when that fact rankled him so much. Back when he was young and naïve. Back when he believed things could be changed for the better with faith in the inherent goodness of the people of the world.

Of course, that was before the day that summarily beat it all out of him. It's a little depressing, really, how someone's whole outlook can change from one event. From one. Bad. Day.

( _Smoke in the air, ash in his nostrils and panting mouth so thick he could taste it on the back of his tongue. Running, running from the pursuers, the ambushers that had been waiting for him and his team. Waiting for their sacrificial lamb._ )

He didn't notice the furious clenching of his fist until he felt blood dripping from his palm, barely even feeling the piercing of his fingernails through the skin. A minor injury, no concern.

' _To think I'd actually be assigned like this to another team. Is the Kazekage just sadistic, or did he honestly think I was the best choice?_ '

….No matter, he was their Jōnin-sense now, and that meant he needed to keep to his new responsibilities. One in particular-

He felt a sudden tugging on the back of his shirt under the raincoat, right at the middle of his back. The signal.

Anji's features hardened slightly, preparing himself for what was to come.

' _Not this time._ '

oOoOoOoOo ? oOoOoOoOo

"Something's wrong."

Kimura rolled his eyes again, long since fed up with Kaido's paranoia. "Oh, come on. They're practically _begging_ for the ambush by now. Just _look_ at them."

Not long ago the convoy had stopped at a copse of trees, the wagons themselves under the branches and forming a rough circle in the gaps between the trees themselves. Besides shuffling around the wagons a bit, the escort Shinobi had been easily observed, not even aware that they had been watched the whole time.

Still, Kaido seemed to keep finding something wrong with what was going on. "That's not what I mean," he insisted, furiously shaking his head. "There was supposed to be a full team of three Genin and their Jōnin-sense, why is there only two Genin? And why would they suddenly stop _now_? Couldn't they just-"

"Enough!"

Kimura did his best not to shout it out, unwilling to potentially reveal their location, but this was really getting annoying. Kaido seemed to find a reason to be paranoid about _everything_! Hell, he could probably even find a way to be paranoid when he was going to the damn bathroom. And Kaido really didn't want to deal with it while he was out here in this miserable rain.

"We have our damned mission. We go in, we kill everyone, we get the ore and leave. Simple. Got it?"

Kaido looked like he was about to keep talking, but a quick glare from Kimura got him to shut up. Good, he just wanted to get this over with and get back to the Hidden Rain Village with Sealing Scrolls full of the cargo. End of story.

"Is Hazama in position, yet?" he asked, turning his attention back to their unwary targets. Just a little longer and they could get to work.

Kaido grimaced slightly. "No, we haven't heard back from him yet."

"Dammit. If he doesn't hurry up and get ready he'll screw up the whole plan."

He heard Kaido about to speak again, sucking in some breath before stopping and….nothing? He turned to him, "Kaido?"

His expression frozen, eyes wide in an expression of frozen terror. Then he dropped, dead from the kunai that had been stabbed right into his back. "What the-!"

His instincts screamed at him to _move_ , forcing him to jump away from his place to barely dodge the _explosion_ of earth as a massive fist came down on his position. He was under attack!

Pulling out a kunai of his own, he kept rushing away. He didn't see the guy very well, but it must've been that Jōnin-sense that came along with the team. That wasn't a Jutsu back there, just enough brute force to shatter the earth with a single blow, and he didn't want to get anywhere near it.

' _Gotta run, gotta plan, gotta- '_

Something caught his ankle, thin like a wire, causing him to trip up and land face-first on the ground.

' _Fuck!'_

He turned around on the ground, quickly scanning for any incoming threats as he rose back up to his feet.

Rather, he _tried_ to get up to his feet. Looking down he realized his ankles had been bound together by metal wire. He'd ran right into a _trap_.

Then, before the panic could even set in further, a _hand_ reached up from the muddy ground to grab the wires wrapped around his ankle and drag him into the earth, screaming as his head sank beneath the surface into the ground.

There were no words to describe the fear of being in that kind of situation. Trapped and immobile, at the mercy of some power or enemy that could kill him by just standing by and doing _nothing_. Knowing there was no way out.

And then there was the lack of air. He'd had the presence of mind to avoid screaming as he was pulled down but that changed little. He was panicking and out of breath when it happened, he was shaking even now as he trembled uncontrollably, trying to keep his mouth shut and NOT BREATHE even as the mud started trickling into his nostrils.

He can already feel the strain on his lungs, the tension as they seemed to collapse in on themselves while attempting to pump the lessening oxygen through his body. He felt tremors in his throat, the urge to open his mouth wide for a breath of air that wasn't there.

' _I'm gonna die here,'_ he thought, oddly calm. It was no great epiphany, just a simple realization of fact. There was no way for him to escape it. He was going to die here, drowning in the mud and much of the Land of Rain, his body never to be found.

But then fate must have smiled on him. Because he felt something wrap around his neck and _pull_ _up_.

His head breaks through the surface, mouth opening _wide_ as air rushed in. He didn't even care about the bits of mud that dropped onto his tongue, the specks that he breathed in or the rain that went down the wrong pipe to his lungs. As far as he was concerned, this breath of life was the most WONDERFUL thing to ever fill his lungs.

"Looks like he's alive."

He looked for the source of the voice, not recognizing it. It took him a while to open his eyes again, the mud final washing off his head from the rain. He was gonna have the most _thorough_ shower when he got-

…..Oh.

He opened his eyes fully and saw the stern, hard face of a man he didn't know. Wearing a _Hidden Sand_ Headband.

"You and I are going to have a _long_ talk."

oOoOoOoOo Tetsuo oOoOoOoOo

It wasn't all that hard to sum up how Tetsuo felt after the first real fight of his Shinobi career: A quick skirmish and counter-ambush against a few woefully unprepared Ninja who were probably Chūnin at most.

He imagined most would probably be excited for it. MOST. But, all in all, he was actually a little bored by it.

In truth, Anji had handled it largely by himself. The man took to the counter-ambush plan quite readily and it turned out he was a _lot_ stealthier than his huge size would suggest. All they had to do was substitute him with a decent Clone and he snuck off.

The only real contribution from the rest had been from Kunou. She'd slipped out of the cart not long after sensing the ambush, somehow stealthy enough that nobody had sensed her, and acted as something akin to a safety net for anyone who would've tried to slip away. Earth Style: Underworld Fish was like the perfect Jutsu for her.

But the rest of them? They hadn't really done anything. Shira seemed particularly miffed at that, if his sulking had been a decent indication. He had spent some time after just leaning back into a tree and staring at the ground. He must've been really pumped for his first actual fight on a mission.

But Tetsuo didn't really feel all that disappointed by it. Maybe it was because he'd already gone through his first real life-or-death fight already when he followed along with Chiyo on that training mission gone wrong some time ago, maybe because he figured there was no point in complaining when a mission went by _easy_ , or any other possible reason. Either way, the lack of action for their first fight as a team just didn't leave him feeling too disappointed.

What they'd learned from the man they'd captured, though? Now _that_ perked his interest.

Turns out the merchant who'd hired them had some kind of deal with the people of the Land of Rain. He didn't give any names, he was conditioned well enough to avoid giving that, but they got the gist of the deal.

It turned out that Hidden Rain was even more desperate for resources than the other Shinobi Nations and Hidden Villages were aware of, forcing them to make deals with external groups. The merchant who employed their team was one such collaborator, sending shipments through the Land of Rain that would be periodically raided. He would be paid in goods they had plundered from other collaborators along with a nice bonus in ryō, and then when demand for his goods in their designated destination got really high he could send in a _successful_ shipment to make a killing on top of that. And since HE was the one who hired security the ambushers would always know who was coming along.

It was actually a pretty nice little scheme, though Tetsuo couldn't help but wonder who in Hidden Rain was actually in charge of it. The man they'd captured killed himself via a cyanide capsule in a hollowed tooth, so they weren't able to get much more out of him. Interesting that he only really seemed to balk when it came to naming the people who organized everything, or was Hanzō really that scary to the rank and file?

Regardless, he could wholeheartedly say he was eager to finish this mission up. If he never came back to this dreary place it would be too soon.

But one thing was definitely for sure. Once they reached their destination, their erstwhile employer was going to find himself in a _lot_ of trouble.

 **xXx**

Yo, dear readers!

Wow. This chapter has been waiting for a LONG time, hasn't it? Really sorry about that. My writing schedule has gotten pretty damn wonky for the last few fanfiction updates and I know a lot of readers have probably gotten pretty frustrated over it.

Anyway, onto the fic itself. I know I can't be the only one to think this, but do the D-Rank Missions REALLY serve that much of a point? I mean, they don't ACTUALLY introduce more money into the economy, it just circulates around what already exists. That might be acceptable for a place like Konoha, but Hidden Sand? They barely have money to go around as it is, so why would they bother? I figured that could also be a good reason for why Tetsuo and his team went straight to C-Ranks.

As for the 'fight' in the Land of Rain…well, call it a case of Reality Ensues. Not all fights can be expected to be epic battles with massive Jutsu being thrown around. Besides, they SAW the ambush coming, countered it, and the people they were fighting weren't actually that tough. These people are NINJA, they're supposed to be stealthy, but we almost never see stuff like real ambushes or counter-ambushes in canon. Not to mention that getting caught by surprise on its own can be a big card in a fight, so getting caught by surprise by someone out of your league? Those guys didn't stand a chance. I'm sorry if the action wasn't really intense enough, but not all fights are gonna be epic, some are just gonna be quick stuff like this because those are the fights people TRY and get into. If you're not trying to stack it all in your favor and MAKE them this easy, you're not really trying to win.

As for anyone who thinks Tetsuo's handling of the deer was unrealistic, I did my research on that stuff. Someone with a good knife and experience on their side can REALLY do that work quickly, I even remember seeing a video of a hunter butcher a deer in under ten minutes. Tetsuo isn't THAT good at it, but Chiyo was a thorough teacher, so getting it all done in under 15 minutes is by no means impossible for him. As for why he'd bother with hunting at all: more meat to eat on the mission and maybe some extra he could sell back home. Food and money all in one. And the style it was cooked in? Perfectly valid. I checked.

As for the stuff going on in Hidden Rain…..well, I think you're all smart enough to piece some of that together on your own.

Overall, I'm sorry if this chapter was kind of underwhelming. It might not really be up to par with some of the other stuff I've put out, but you can rest assured that I haven't abandoned it and have no intention of doing such. Here's hoping I'll be able to make the next chapter a bit more exciting.

As always, please point out any spelling errors you find. Because we all know how much of a grammar and spelling nut I can be.

REVIEW AND HAVE A NICE DAY!


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